Sen. Sanders has largely escaped criticism for his 1994 crime bill vote but a review of past statements shows he was more supportive than commonly assumed.
WASHINGTON — As a presidential candidate, Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., has often defended his vote for a controversial 1994 crime bill as a hold-your-nose compromise that included measures popular within the Democratic Party, such as a ban on assault weapons. As a result, Sanders’ support for the massive anti-crime package hasn’t come under the same level of scrutiny that has at times stuck to other Democratic candidates.
But he also declared it to be a good compromise at a time when the nation faced a national crack cocaine epidemic and increasing violent crime, including surging homicide rates. On the issues surrounding criminal justice reform in the current campaign, frontrunner Joe Biden has received the most attention from critics for having championed the 1994 bill as chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee at the time. In the 2016 campaign, it was Hillary Clinton who bore the brunt of activists’ anger for publicly supporting the bill as First Lady.
Sanders struggled to gain traction with African American voters during his 2016 campaign, something that continues today. Eddie Glaude Jr., chair of Princeton University’s African American Studies Department, told NBC News that Sanders would benefit from a more direct conversation with the community.
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