Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders has repeatedly said he wants the Democratic Party to adopt a more liberal world view on key issues such as trade, minimum wage, the environment and Wall Street.
The party platform, which is ratified every four years at the Democratic National Convention, is one way for the presidential candidate to do that.
“Sen. Sanders has made it clear he wants to have a strong imprint on the platform,” said a Sanders aide, who spoke on the condition of anonymity. “It is one of the achievements of his campaign, which is already clear by the focus and subject matter the drafting committee is taking up.”
The Platform Drafting Committee will hold four meetings over the next month — with Wednesday’s two-day gathering focusing on economic equality, jobs, education and the U.S. role on international matters.
Supporters of Sanders and Hillary Clinton are members of the committee and official representatives from each campaign will be present.
With Clinton accruing the necessary number of delegates to become the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, Sanders must now decide how he should move forward, as he considers what is the best way to retain the political influence he earned for running a strong primary campaign.
At the same time, Clinton and her allies must be careful not to alienate Sanders and his supporters by appearing as though they are trying to force him out of the race.
Allowing Sanders to help write the party’s platform is one thing that may help Clinton woo Sanders supporters, which are comprised of young voters and activists who occupy the liberal corner of the party. Another is to give Sanders a prominent speaking role at the convention, which takes place next month in Philadelphia.
