Sen. Bernie Sanders said he will have no problem earning support from minority voters during the Democratic presidential primary cycle next year, despite polling that shows non-white voters almost unanimously support former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton.

Mr. Sanders, a Vermont independent, said he has “a long history in fighting for civil rights,” and his campaign to raise the minimum wage and boost the middle class should resonate among black and Hispanic populations who have faced economic disparities.

“I think we’re going to do just fine in those communities,” he told ABC’s “This Week”.

He also said he is positioned to bring the country together over Second Amendment rights, saying he comes from a state that does little in terms of gun control, yet he has voted for “common-sense” measures to impose instant background checks and ban the sale of certain high-powered weapons.

It’s also time to bridge the “cultural divide” over guns, Mr. Sanders said, adding that rural gun owners shouldn’t face abuse just because they like to hunt, but gun-right sgroups should recognize the scourge of gun violence in urban centers such as Chicago.

“I think we need a national dialogue,” Mr. Sanders said.

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