Sen. Bernie Sanders stands to have an expansive say over the Democratic Party platform this year, even though he is expected to lose the nominating contest to Hillary Clinton, thanks to an agreement to increase his representation on the drafting committee reached amid rising tensions between the campaigns.
Clinton picked six members and Sanders, of Vermont, picked five – which roughly corresponds to the popular votes each has received in primaries and caucuses. Democratic National Chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz named four.
The 15-member drafting committee will decide the platform presented to the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia in July. Under party rules, Wasserman Schultz – who personally supports Clinton - has the power to appoint all of the members of the committee.
Sanders has complained about the party's processes being rigged against him, and his campaign objected to earlier proposals for the composition of the drafting committee. The DNC and Sanders's campaign reached a compromise after weeks of negotiations, the Washington Post reported. Each candidate submitted about a dozen names for consideration.
This year, the DNC Chair decided to give 75 percent of the committee's seats to the presidential campaigns, "to make this the most representative and inclusive process in history," the party said in a statement. Party officials said Rep. Elijah Cummings (D., Md.) – who backs Clinton supporter - would be the chair of the drafting committee, and noted that Sanders signed off on that appointment.
Sanders has not been shy in ripping Wasserman Schultz, saying he would not reappoint her if he were elected. Over the weekend he announced his support for her primary challenger, South Florida professor Tim Canova, and sent a fundraising pitch on his behalf.
"We believe that we will have the representation on the platform drafting committee to create a Democratic platform that reflects the views of millions of our supporters who want the party to address the needs of working families in this country and not just Wall Street, the drug companies, the fossil fuel industry and other powerful special interests," Sanders said in a statement Monday.
Sanders wants some of his positions, which are to the left of Hillary Clinton's, enshrined in the platform, such as a call to break of big banks and make public colleges and universities tuition free.