Sanders urges Utah and other delegations to defeat Trump, elect Clinton


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SALT LAKE CITY — Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders was cheered Thursday morning by delegates to the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia from Utah and five other states when he urged them to defeat Donald Trump and elect Hillary Clinton.

"In the next few months, we have a very, very important task. Our task is to make sure that this country does not elect the worst presidential candidate in modern history," Sanders told delegates gathered for breakfast at their King of Prussia hotel.

Sanders, who won Utah's presidential preference caucus vote in March with nearly 80 percent of the vote, said his concerns about Trump, the Republican nominee, go beyond his plans to offer tax breaks and ignore climate change.

"My fear about Donald Trump is that he is a demagogue that does not believe in the Constitution of the United States and that he is making the cornerstone of his campaign not the economy, not health, but bigotry and hatred," Sanders said.

He said Trump is trying to divide the country over religion, gender and heritage and, by questioning whether President Barack Obama was born in the United States, "trying to undermine the legitimacy of the first African-American president."

"So we have to do everything we can to defeat Trump and elect Secretary Clinton to be our next president," the independent who describes himself as a Democratic socialist said to cheers and applause.

Sanders campaigned hard against the former secretary of state, senator and first lady around the country and in Utah, making two appearances in the state before the March vote that attracted thousands.


Our task is to make sure that this country does not elect the worst presidential candidate in modern history.

–Bernie Sanders


He won 29 of Utah's 37 delegates to the four-day convention that ends Thursday evening with Clinton's acceptance speech as the first woman nominated to run for president by a major political party.

Sanders noted he did well in the states represented at the breakfast meeting — Hawaii, Idaho, North Dakota, South Dakota, Utah and West Virginia — and joked they were all staying so far away from Philadelphia because of their support for him.

Much of his speech, posted on the Utah State Democratic Party Facebook page, focused on his campaign themes, including the need to confront the "corporate greed" behind the money that funds campaigns.

"The political revolution continues," Sanders assured them in a speech frequently interrupted with applause. "Politics is more than just electing an individual. It's creating a movement and transforming society."

Sanders has endorsed Clinton and urged his supporters to vote for her in his convention speech on Monday. Thursday, he told the delegates from the six states that their work is not done after they vote for Clinton in November.

"The day after the election is as important as the day before the election," he said. "That means we keep our eyes on the prize and the prize is transforming America" through an agenda that includes establishing a single-payer healthcare system.

The early-morning audience responded by chanting, "Thank you, Bernie."

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UtahPolitics
Lisa Riley Roche

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