Clinton Doubts Sanders Will Help Elect More Dems

ByLIZ KREUTZ ABCNews logo
Monday, April 4, 2016

BROOKLYN, New York -- Hillary Clinton questioned Bernie Sanders' loyalty to the Democratic Party during an interview on "Good Morning America" on Monday, saying "there's no indication" her opponent wants to help elect more Democrats to Congress.

"There's no indication there's any interest there," the Democratic presidential candidate responded when asked by ABC News' George Stephanopoulos if she thinks the Vermont senator would help the Senate go back to the Democrats.

"I am committed to electing Democrats. I'm committed to raising money. I'm already helping to fund Democratic campaigns, because at the end of the day a president can do a lot, and I have a very robust agenda with big goals for our country," she continued.

Over the weekend, Clinton knocked Sanders, an independent, for his loose ties to the Democratic party.

"I'm also a Democrat, and have been a proud Democrat all my adult life," Clinton said during a campaign event in Eau Claire, Wisconsin. "And I think it's kind of important if we're selecting somebody to be the Democratic nominee of the Democratic party."

Sanders responded to this critique on ABC News' "This Week" on Sunday by arguing that the fact he's an Independent is a strength in a general election campaign, because he can bring independents into the party. He also noted that some polls show him doing better than Clinton in general election match-ups -- an argument Clinton brushed off on "GMA."

"Polls this far out don't mean anything," she told Stephanopoulos. "I think what's important is not what somebody's theory is but, 'How many votes have you gotten?' That's what we determine elections based on."

During the interview, Clinton also said she is "confident" she will debate Sanders before the New York primary on April 19, and agreed to attend a debate hosted by "GMA" on the morning of April 15.

"I'll be there," she said.

Sanders has not agreed to participate in this debate, however. His campaign released a statement on Sunday saying they have proposed four new dates for a debate -- including one on NBC News on April 10 -- none of which the Clinton campaign has accepted.

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