Bernie Sanders' supporters will "enthusiastically" turn to support Hillary Clinton's bid for the White House and it would be a "fabulous message of unification" for Clinton to pick Sanders as her running mate, former Rhode Island Gov. Lincoln Chafee said Wednesday.
"Considering the foil that is Donald Trump, everybody I know that has supported Sen. Sanders is willingly enthusiastically going to support Secretary Clinton," Chafee, who dropped his own Democratic run for president in October,
told Carol Costello on her CNN program.
Sanders has said the election system was rigged to favor his rival.
"The stakes are so high, and the [Ralph] Nader experience is still fresh in our minds that brought us George W. Bush and Dick Cheney," Chafee said. "We can't have that again. I think Donald Trump scares people more than even Dick Cheney."
And as the process plays out, Sanders will also become an enthusiastic supporter for Clinton, Chafee told Costello.
"Republicans have been so successful in the past about energizing the base, Democrats, if Clinton picked Sanders, that would energize that base, no doubt about it," said Chafee.
Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren has also been mentioned as a potential running mate, but Chafee said he does not think that is a good idea.
"Sen. Warren has a relatively brief electoral experience," Chafee said. "Sen. Sanders has been the mayor, city of Burlington, a House member, a Senator. I think that's important."
Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.
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