The Washington establishment's main goal in every election is to retain their access to the levers of power and not let otherwise unaffiliated candidates like Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., take that access away, according to Krystal Ball.

The Hill.TV commentator told "Tucker Carlson Tonight" that Sanders makes the Democratic establishment apprehensive because they understand he will not be inviting to them if he wins in November.

TRUMP, LOOKING TO 'SHAKE UP THE DEMS A LITTLE BIT' HITS 'MUMBLING' PELOSI AT NH RALLY

"These are all people whose power comes from their access to the establishment world -- consultants whose grift is based on a certain deal flow from the DNC, et cetera -- and they know what you said about they prefer Trump to Bernie -- that’s exactly right because they know under a Sanders administration, all of that access and all of that deal flow, all of that is gone and it truly is over for them," she said.

Ball and host Tucker Carlson agreed that President Trump is the Republican iteration of that phenomenon. In 2016, several GOP candidates, like former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush and then-Ohio Gov. John Kasich were seen as taking up the more establishment lane in opposition to Trump.

"They would rather have Bernie lose and have another crack at it after Donald Trump['s second term] than allow him to win and that’s where we are," Ball said. "The problem for them is that while Hillary Clinton and all the rest say nobody likes Bernie Sanders, the truth is -- just like Donald Trump -- the base really likes Bernie Sanders."

Ball said Sanders is seen as the "most popular senator in the country" which she attributed to the tense situation on the political left.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

Appearing to compare Joe Biden's candidacy to that of Kasich and Bush, Ball said that the former vice president has "the right resume" and ties to the popular Barack Obama, "so he must be the guy."

"In the meanwhile, they said the same things [about Sanders that] they said about the rise of Donald Trump: 'Ignore that he [Biden] has no enthusiasm or crowds, pay no attention to that,' -- just look at the fact of his poll numbers and he's resilient and what's happening online and what’s happening out there in America," she continued.

"To this day, if you look at the polls objectively, [Sanders] is the front runner to win the Democratic nomination and they still have not wrapped their heads around it or the fact that he has a genuine enthusiasm and movement behind him which ... could be a good matchup against President Trump."