"Trump Must Not Become President,' Sanders Tells Rutgers Rally

Press Release

U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders said on Sunday that he's the candidate with the best chance to defeat Republican Donald Trump in the general election this fall.

"Donald Trump must not become president and I am happy to tell you that Donald Trump will not become president of the United States," Sanders told more than 6,750 supporters at the Rutgers Athletic Center.

Sanders pointed to national and state polls consistently showing that he defeats the likely Republican Party presidential nominee by margins nearly twice as great as Hillary Clinton's lead over Trump. "If Democrats want to have the strongest candidate against Donald Trump they should look at those polls," Sanders said.

Sanders also detailed his differences with Clinton, including his plan to break up big Wall Street banks and to make public colleges and universities tuition free.

Unlike Clinton, Sanders has refused to take money from special interests. Instead, his supporters have made more than 7.3 million donations averaging about $27 apiece.

The Vermont senator so far has won about 45 percent of the pledged delegates to this summer's Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia. New Jersey is among five states that will hold presidential primary elections on June 7. "We are going to fight for every single vote," he said.

Sanders this weekend picked up more delegates in the state of Washington. When he won the caucuses there last March 26 he picked up 25 of the 34 delegates awarded that day. On Saturday, Sanders picked up another 49 of 67 additional delegates divvied up based on caucus results in congressional districts.

Despite Sanders' big margin in pledged delegates, however, nearly all of Washington's so-called superdelegates -- elected officials and party insiders -- support Clinton.

The same thing has happened in several other states including Maine, where Democrats at a state convention this weekend adopted a resolution to ensure that future state delegations to the party's national convention reflect the outcome of the popular vote. "Maine is trying to make the Democratic Party more democratic," Sanders said on Sunday.

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