Local Issue Makes Its Way Into Presidential Race
By Pat Loeb
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Philadelphia's soda tax has become an issue in the presidential campaign. The Democratic candidates have picked sides and are going to battle over it.
In one corner is Hillary Clinton.
"I'm very supportive of the mayor's proposal to tax soda to get pre-school for kids."
And in another corner, Bernie Sanders.
"That's a regressive way to raise funds."
What put a strictly local issue on the radar of the national candidates? Obviously, both candidates have been spending time in this vote-rich area ahead of Tuesday's primary.
Clinton got it started, Wednesday, when she met with a local anti-violence group and was asked how to change the criminal justice system.
"We obviously have to do a whole lot more to prevent the school to prison pipeline and replace it with a cradle to college pipeline and that starts early."
Thus her support for the tax to fund pre-K.
Sanders jumped on the opportunity to contrast his own position. He called it a tax on the poor, the very argument the American Beverage Association has been making.