Bernie Sanders booed as Democratic hopefuls try to woo women of color
White House candidate Bernie Sanders got a rocky reception when he gave a halting performance at an event this week focusing on female voters of color, while Kamala Harris was given a standing ovation – but was vigorously challenged in the popularity stakes by rivals Elizabeth Warren and Beto O’Rourke.
Women from 28 states descended on Houston, Texas, on Wednesday to hear from the eight leading Democratic 2020 contenders at an inaugural event called She the People presidential forum – a day before Joe Biden jumped into the race.
Women of color are such a powerful voting bloc in America that they are predicted to be highly influential – if not decisive – in choosing the Democratic nominee for the 2020 election.
The candidates convened at the event at Texas Southern University, a historically black college, to address a buoyant audience of about 1,700, diverse in background and age, including individuals and representatives of more than 40 activist organizations.
Cory Booker, Julián Castro, Tulsi Gabbard, Kamala Harris, Amy Klobuchar, Beto O’Rourke, Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren took questions on topics ranging from immigration, women’s health, race relations, hate crimes and workplace inequalities to climate change, poverty, education, criminal justice, foreign policy and the economy. And they got a mix of reactions.
When Sanders was asked a question about the prevalence of violence against women, his generic and seemingly out-of-touch response was angrily shouted down. [Continue reading…]