Sanders Asks If It Makes ‘a Lot of Sense’ for States to Hold Primaries Amid Coronavirus Outbreak

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) is questioning the wisdom of holding presidential primaries amid a global pandemic.

During an interview on CNN on Sunday night, Sanders was asked if he thinks the states should proceed with their presidential primaries in light of guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which encourages Americans to avoid events expected to draw more than 50 people.

“That is a very good question,” Sanders said, adding, “As you know, Louisiana, and Georgia, and Puerto Rico have delayed their elections.”

He added, “Look, election dates are very, very important, we don’t want to be getting into the habit of messing around with them,”

He continued:

“I would hope the governors listen to the public health experts and they’re saying … we don’t want gatherings of 50 or more people. And when I think about some of the elderly people sitting behind the desks, registering people and all that, does that make a lot of sense? I’m not sure that it does.”

Watch the interview below:

Sanders’ comments come as four states, Arizona, Florida, Illinois, and Ohio were scheduled to hold primaries on Tuesday. The governors of Illinois and Ohio both ordered bars and restaurants to close due to the spread of the coronavirus, as IJR has previously reported.

On Monday afternoon, Ohio Governor Mike DeWine (R) announced he would file a lawsuit to postpone in-person voting until June.

Louisiana and George had already postponed their primaries, but there were questions as to whether voting should proceed in states that were scheduled to hold their primaries this Tuesday.