Ed Rendell: Sanders Will Contest Democratic Convention
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) - Former Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell is predicting a contested Democratic convention between Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders in Philadelphia this Summer.
Rendell, during an interview with Rich Zeoli on Talk Radio 1210 WPHT, said Sanders is not going to give up before he gets to the convention floor.
"He's going all the way to California and he has every right to do that. He'll have his name put in nomination as he should, to honor all his supporters. It will be contested and, unless something shocking happens, Hillary Clinton will win the nomination and then it will be important to see what Bernie Sanders does, what Elizabeth Warren does, and what they do to try to re-unite the party."
He pointed out that, like Hillary Clinton did before him, Sanders must bring his supporters back into the fold for the general election in November.
"We're not going to get all the Bernie Sanders voters. Some of those voters have never voted before and probably aren't going to vote again without Bernie on the ballot. But the key is to get about 90 percent of them. In 2008, when Hillary lost and when she withdrew on that Saturday in June, a lot of her women supporters said they weren't going to support Obama...It wound up, about 95 percent of Hillary's voters voted for Senator Obama and helped him become President."
However, Rendell does not think Sanders will endorse the former Secretary of State with the vigor that she did for President Obama.
"I think he'll endorse Hillary Clinton as he said he would if he doesn't win. But I don't think he'll be all out and he's said some things that are going to make an all out support very difficult."