Hillary Clinton said she was “a little disappointed” in Bernie Sanders for suggesting on Tuesday that the former secretary of state was only a progressive on “some days.”
After listing her accomplishments and framing them all as being a “good day” for progressives, Clinton hit Sanders for what she and her aides viewed as a personal, not policy based, critique.
“I hope we keep it on the issues, because if it is about our records, hey, I am going to win by a landslide on Tuesday,” Clinton said about the New Hampshire primary.
Clinton is trailing Sanders in New Hampshire and her campaign is trying to lower expectations about a win next week. The former secretary of state sharpened her critique of Sanders during the Derry town hall after the Vermont senator said Tuesday in Keene that it was “very hard to be a real progressive and to take on the establishment in the way that I think has to be taken when you become dependent as she has through her super PAC and in other ways on Wall Street or drug company money.”
“Some days, yes,” Sanders said in response to a question about Clinton being a progressive, “except when she announces that she’s a proud moderate and then I guess she’s not a progressive.”
The heart of Sanders’ argument is a comment Clinton made last year in Columbus, Ohio.
“You know, I get accused of being kind of moderate and center,” Clinton told the audience at a Women for Hillary event. “I plead guilty.”
Jen Palmieri, Clinton’s communications director, said Wednesday that Clinton was saying she is willing to work with people during her Columbus speech.
“You would be hard pressed to find a more accomplished and passionate progressive and I think she will continue to communicate that,” Palmieri said.
The Democratic presidential candidates have also sparred about this issue on Twitter. After Clinton’s campaign tweeted about Sanders’ comment from the former first lady’s account, Sanders responded with the Ohio quote.
A CNN/WMUR poll released on Sunday found Sanders leading Clinton 57% to 34% in New Hampshire.