Sen. Bernie Sanders says Democratic Party needs to “open up its doors” to Independents

Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders has some advice for the Democratic Party as it begins to face the 2018 midterm elections: “open up its doors” to party outsiders.

“The truth is that neither the Democratic Party nor the Republican Party today are held in very high esteem by the American people. That’s just a fact,” Sanders said on CBS News’ “Face the Nation.”

“There are more people now who are Independents than Democrats or Republicans,” he said. “So to say to Independents, say to young people who are overwhelmingly Independent, say to working people, ‘We don’t want you to come into the Democratic Party,’ is totally absurd. And it’s a recipe for failure.”

After a rousing win for Democrats in two highly-anticipated gubernatorial races in New Jersey and Virginia, Sanders said he was “most excited” about the grassroots campaign that is helping elect a new round of local and state officials.

“You are seeing grassroots activists, people for the very first time, young people, working people, running for state legislature, running for city council, running for school board and winning those elections. And what I have always believed is that the only way we’re going to transform this country, the only way we’re going to take on the top 1 percent effectively, is when millions of people get involved in the political process,” said Sanders.

(The first segment of this interview can be in the comments)

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