VT Insights: Bernie Sanders never held VT kickoff rallies

April McCullum | Burlington Free Press

When Bernie Sanders announced in May that he would seek re-election to the U.S. Senate, his campaign said he would "formally kick off his campaign in June with a series of rallies around the state."

Eleven weeks after that announcement, Sanders is poised to wrap up the Democratic primary season next week without holding a campaign kickoff rally.

His campaign manager said Sanders chose to attend "community events" rather than holding summer rallies.

The independent senator participated in nine parades in Vermont and hosted a dinner dance for members of Vermont labor unions, said his campaign manager, Shannon Jackson. He is scheduled to join health care activist Ady Barkan at Friday events in Brattleboro, Bennington and Bristol.

"We look forward to having many town halls and events in the months ahead," Jackson said in an email.

More: Bernie Sanders is more than a Vermont senator. Do Vermonters mind?

In July, Sanders stood with the nurses at the University of Vermont Medical Center as they prepared for a strike.

Sanders has made high-profile appearances outside Vermont. He appeared at a rally for Rep. Keith Ellison's bid for Minnesota attorney general and later visited Kansas with Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, the Democratic socialist congressional candidate who scored an upset primary victory over New York Rep. Joe Crowley.

The Washington Post on Wednesday put Sanders and Ocasio-Cortez in the "losers" column after their pick in the Michigan Democratic gubernatorial primary lost, "These two liberal stars didn't have a great track record Tuesday night either."

Sanders missed a Channel 17/Town Meeting TV U.S. Senate Democratic candidates' forum, leaving his little-known primary opponent Folasade Adeluola alone with the moderator. Jackson, his campaign manager, said Sanders was in Washington, D.C., for votes and his schedule did not allow him to participate.

Contact April McCullum at 802-660-1863 or amccullum@freepressmedia.com. Follow her on Twitter at @April_McCullum.