Moderate Democrats rush to blunt Sanders’ momentum after Nevada

U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders’ commanding Nevada caucus victory made him a top target for his Democratic rivals and an evergrowing source of anxiety for establishment Democrats worried that the nomination of an avowed democratic socialist may cost the party in November.

The win solidified Sanders’ front-runner status as the race considered Saturday’s presidential primary in SC. The Vermont senator was trounced in the state by a lot more than 40 percentage points in 2016, but he is hoping that his success in diverse Nevada will prove to black voters in South Carolina that his campaign has broad appeal.

Any momentum that Sanders gains in SC could possibly be devastating to former Vice President Joe Biden, who is seeking to the state for a commanding victory that can keep his candidacy alive through Super Tuesday. The March 3 contests will unfold in 14 states and award one-third of the delegates necessary for the Democratic nomination.

As time passes running short, moderate Democrats grew increasingly nervous Sunday that Sanders’ call for a political “revolution” would drive voters from the party, both in the matchup against President Donald Trump and in House and Senate races.

Sanders’ campaign argued he will bring in new and infrequent voters - largely progressives, young people and voters of color - who have been alienated from the procedure and seek a drastic overhaul of Washington, not merely trying to oust Trump.

He successfully relied on that coalition to dominate his Democratic rivals in Nevada, pulling far ahead of Biden, the second-place finisher, and Pete Buttigieg, the former mayor of South Bend, Ind., who came in third. Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren landed in fourth, while Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar and California billionaire Tom Steyer were in a close race for fifth as the Nevada Democratic Party continued to tabulate results.

Sanders celebrated the win in Texas, a top Super Tuesday prize and circumstances that Democrats see trending their way because of an evergrowing Hispanic population and opposition to Trump in the suburbs.

Sounding like a applicant who had already secured the nomination, Sanders told thousands of cheering supporters who filled a basketball arena on the campus of the University of Houston that he'd win in the state both the following month and next fall.

“If working persons and young people of the city, black and white and Latino, gay or straight, if our persons stand together, turn out to vote, we’re likely to win here in Texas,” he said.