At a Unity Stop in Nebraska, Democrats Find Anything But
WASHINGTON Rarely has a municipal election in a midsize city ignited such a fierce national debate over what defines a Democrat. But the election this spring for mayor of Omaha is pitting abortion rights activists against economic populists and threatening the partys unity as it regroups to confront President Trump.
Part of the twist: The populist sides standard-bearer, Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont, is not even a Democrat.
This is very raw, said Randi Weingarten, the head of the American Federation of Teachers, conceding that after the presidential election, there is still this ongoing debate about identity politics versus economic opportunity.
Mr. Sanders and the new leadership of the Democratic National Committee touched a party sore spot this week when they took their Unity Tour to Omaha to rally for a mayoral candidate who opposes abortion rights. Mr. Sanders, repurposing the themes of his presidential bid, told a crowd of about 6,000 on Thursday night that the candidate, Heath Mello, 37, would be a future star in the Democratic Party who could help break the grip of big money on the nations politics.
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/04/21/us/politics/bernie-sanders-democrats-nebraska.html