Is Bernie Sanders worth the risk, North Carolina?

We don’t believe Bernie Sanders is the far-left facsimile of Donald Trump, although there are some resemblances. Like the president, Sanders boasts of a health care plan that’s shiny on the surface but has a troubling lack of details under the hood. Each has shown an affinity for authoritarian regimes, and both are too accommodating to supporters — and staffers — who coarsen the political discussion with attacks on perceived enemies.

The president and Sanders also have something bigger in common — a movement of disenchanted voters who’ve long been fed up with the establishment’s inability to address their needs. That disconnect fueled Trump’s rise four years ago, and it has launched Sanders into the lead for the Democratic nomination in 2020. On Super Tuesday, North Carolina and 13 other states will have their say.

The Editorial Board is not making an endorsement in North Carolina’s Democratic presidential primary. The board was not able to secure interviews with enough of the primary candidates and ask questions we believe are important to North Carolina voters. But we do believe one candidate poses a significant risk to the interests of N.C. Democrats.

Sanders, like Trump, is a confounding phenomenon. He has few legislative accomplishments, especially for someone who has spent three decades in Washington. He’s reneged on a promise to release comprehensive medical records in the wake of a heart attack last October at age 78. More importantly, he’s had years to prepare for the questions that would come about the structural changes he proposes — including about health care, his signature proposal — yet has been slow or unable to provide critical details such as how he would pay for it.

Sanders also leaves Democrats across the country vulnerable in an election in which they were poised to take over federal and state legislative majorities. That includes North Carolina, where the race for U.S. Senate promises to be tight, and where Democrats have a chance to regain a majority in the N.C. House and Senate. But persuadable voters in our state — including suburban voters who helped drive a blue wave in the 2018 mid-terms — will likely be wary of the fundamental, systemic transformation that Sanders is proposing. Those voters are critical in competitive General Assembly races where Democrats hope to flip seats, such as Wake County’s Senate District 18, or where Democrats hope to hold on to them, such as Mecklenburg’s suburban House District 103.

Make no mistake: Republicans are giddy about the possibility of a democratic socialist standing atop the Democratic ticket. Yes, there are significant differences between the socialism that Sanders advocates and the “communist” barbs that Republicans will lob at him and Democrats from now until November. But many voters won’t make that distinction, and many who do still don’t want the European blend of social democracy that Sanders touts. That’s why Democrats across North Carolina are fretting about the risk of a Sanders nomination.

Sanders and his supporters believe that with an historically objectionable opponent in Trump, progressives have a unique opportunity. Maybe that’s true. Maybe Sanders has tapped into a movement — or the movement he has waited for has finally arrived. Maybe his groundswell of young supporters is real and deep and won’t miss the exit on Election Day as so often happens. Maybe the country really is ready for profound, progressive change. The people will speak on Tuesday and beyond, as they should, and Democrats will need to rally behind the eventual nominee against this president.

Primary voters should worry, however, that Sanders is just the kind of foil Donald Trump needs in 2020. There’s a real risk that Sanders not only will lose but will take Democrats down with him in battleground states, blunting years of momentum and dashing an opportunity to change the direction of North Carolina and the country.

It’s a risk N.C. Democrats shouldn’t take.

This story was originally published March 1, 2020 at 4:00 AM with the headline "Is Bernie Sanders worth the risk, North Carolina?."