With his crushing victory in the Nevada caucuses, and his increasing dominance in national polling, it's looking more and more likely that Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders will be the Democratic nominee for president.

As a Warren supporter, I have mixed feelings about Sanders' success. He was not my first choice for president. I have concerns about his approach and some of his priorities. On the other hand, and to put it mildly, I much prefer him to the current occupant of the White House. I am not 100 per cent enthusiastic about a Sanders candidacy, but I would like to be, given the alternative.

So what can Sanders do to appeal to Democrats who didn't embrace him in the primary, but who are looking for ways to be excited about him in the general? Here are five suggestions.

Stop attacking the Democratic Party

Sanders has caucused with Democrats in Congress for almost two decades, but he's technically served Vermont as an Independent, rather than as a member of the Democratic Party. He often lambasts both Republicans and Democrats as part of a monolithic wealthy political establishment. He presents his own voters as good working class populists, while painting those who work against him as corrupt shills for corporate interests.

This rhetoric fires up Sanders' core voters. But those who think someone else has a better healthcare plan, or better immigration policy, or who are put off by Sanders' past record on gun control, understandably bristle when they're painted as wealthy jerks. For that matter, many Democrats identify with their party, and are proud of its accomplishments in expanding healthcare or fighting for abortion rights. Sanders could do a lot to bring such people into his coalition if he'd just stop insulting them.

TV host Chris Matthews apologises for likening Bernie Sanders to rise of the Nazis

Sanders’ most aggressive supporters could help by ratcheting down the friendly fire as well. Attacking unions which don't endorse Sanders, or rushing to yell at people who support other candidates on social media, doesn't make people feel welcome. A little less abuse could go a long way towards making other Democrats excited about a Sanders nomination.

Embrace Obama's legacy

The flipside of point 1: Not only should Sanders stop attacking Democrats, he should affirmatively claim the mantle of Democratic partisanship. He should especially embrace the legacy of Barack Obama, who remains hugely popular among Democratic voters.

Embracing Obama doesn't mean compromising on policy positions. Rather, it means that Sanders should frame his goals and accomplishments as continuous with, rather than as a break from, Obama's administration. Medicare for All is a logical extension of Obama's efforts to expand healthcare with the Affordable Care Act. Sanders' promise to curtail American military interventionism is in line with Obama's efforts to extricate the US from Iraq.

Unlike Jeremy Corbyn, who was out of step with his party on Brexit, Sanders' policies are mostly congruent with long-time Democratic goals. He can reassure and encourage Democratic voters by making that clear.

Attack Trump all the time

Elections are always strongly influenced by negative partisanship. Especially with a broadly unpopular incumbent Republican president like Donald Trump, the best way to rally Democrats is to remind them how much they hate the guy in office.

Billionaire ex-New York mayor Mike Bloomberg, a former Republican with little charisma and a history of allowing racist policing practices, has managed to give himself a major bump in polls just by running ads about how horrible Trump is. This can work for Sanders too — as the Senator is well aware. His speech after the Nevada caucus was mostly devoted to lambasting Trump's "greed, corruption, and lies." Expect more of that, and rightfully so, if he becomes the nominee.

Choose a VP from outside his faction

Candidates always try to use the VP to balance the ticket. For many, this means trying to find someone who has regional strength. For Sanders, though, the most important thing is to show that he's not just a factional candidate, but is fighting for, and working with, all Democrats. That means picking a vice presidential nominee who is not a loyalist — so not Sanders national campaign co-chair Nina Turner, and absolutely not Hawaii congressperson Tulsi Gabbard. Instead, Sanders should choose someone like Obama HUD secretary and Warren surrogate Julian Castro, Georgia voting rights activist and former gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams, or Massachusetts Congressional representative Ayanna Pressley.

There are many progressive candidates who broadly share Sanders' positions and goals, but who supported someone else for president in 2016 or 2020. Selecting one of them as VP would be a good way to signal that Sanders is eager to broaden his coalition for the general election.

Use the convention to call in party rivals

Sanders and Sanders’ supporters have spent the last months saying horrible things about Pete Buttigieg, Kamala Harris, Elizabeth Warren, Joe Biden, Hillary Clinton and other challengers and rivals in the party. That's what you do in primaries, but the party convention is the place to walk it all back. Opponents — and yes, even Hillary Clinton — should be given a chance to speak; Sanders should thank them and praise their campaigns and their accomplishments.

The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 Show all 25 1 /25 The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 Bernie Sanders The Vermont senator has launched a second bid for president after losing out to Hilary Clinton in the 2016 Democratic primaries. He is running on a similar platform of democratic socialist reform Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 Joe Biden The former vice president recently faced scrutiny for inappropriate touching of women, but was thought to deal with the criticism well and has since maintained a front runner status in national polling EPA The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 Elizabeth Warren The Massachusetts senator is a progressive Democrat, and a major supporter of regulating Wall Street Reuters The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 Amy Klobuchar Klobuchar is a Minnesota senator who earned praise for her contribution to the Brett Kavanaugh hearings Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 Michael Bloomberg Michael Bloomberg, a late addition to the 2020 race, announced his candidacy after months of speculation in November. He has launched a massive ad-buying campaign and issued an apology for the controversial "stop and frisk" programme that adversely impacted minority communities in New York City when he was mayor Getty Images The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 Tulsi Gabbard The Hawaii congresswoman announced her candidacy in January, but has faced tough questions on her past comments on LGBT+ rights and her stance on Syrian President Bashar al-Assad Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Pete Buttigieg The centrist Indiana mayor and war veteran would be the first openly LGBT+ president in American history Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Deval Patrick The former Massachusetts governor launched a late 2020 candidacy and received very little reception. With just a few short months until the first voters flock to the polls, the former governor is running as a centrist and believes he can unite the party's various voting blocs AFP/Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Beto O'Rourke The former Texas congressman formally launched his bid for the presidency in March. He ran on a progressive platform, stating that the US is driven by "gross differences in opportunity and outcome" AP The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Kamala Harris The former California attorney general was introduced to the national stage during Jeff Sessions’ testimony. She has endorsed Medicare-for-all and proposed a major tax-credit for the middle class AFP/Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Bill De Blasio The New York mayor announced his bid on 16 May 2019. He emerged in 2013 as a leading voice in the left wing of his party but struggled to build a national profile and has suffered a number of political setbacks in his time as mayor AFP/Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Steve Bullock The Montana governor announced his bid on 14 May. He stated "We need to defeat Donald Trump in 2020 and defeat the corrupt system that lets campaign money drown out the people's voice, so we can finally make good on the promise of a fair shot for everyone." He also highlighted the fact that he won the governor's seat in a red [Republican] state Reuters The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Cory Booker The New Jersey Senator has focused on restoring kindness and civility in American politics throughout his campaign, though he has failed to secure the same level of support and fundraising as several other senators running for the White House in 2020 Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Wayne Messam Mayor of the city of Miramar in the Miami metropolitan area, Wayne Messam said he intended to run on a progressive platform against the "broken" federal government. He favours gun regulations and was a signatory to a letter from some 400 mayors condemning President Trump's withdrawal from the Paris Climate Accord Vice News The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Kirsten Gillibrand The New York Senator formally announced her presidential bid in January, saying that “healthcare should be a right, not a privilege” Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: John Delaney The Maryland congressman was the first to launch his bid for presidency, making the announcement in 2017 AP The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Andrew Yang The entrepreneur announced his presidential candidacy by pledging that he would introduce a universal basic income of $1,000 a month to every American over the age of 18 Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Julian Castro The former San Antonio mayor announced his candidacy in January and said that his running has a “special meaning” for the Latino community in the US Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Marianne Williamson The author and spiritual adviser has announced her intention to run for president. She had previously run for congress as an independent in 2014 but was unsuccessful Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Eric Swalwell One of the younger candidates, Swalwell has served on multiple committees in the House of Representatives. He intended to make gun control central to his campaign but dropped out after his team said it was clear there was no path to victory Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Seth Moulton A Massachusetts congressman, Moulton is a former US soldier who is best known for trying to stop Nancy Pelosi from becoming speaker of the house. He dropped out of the race after not polling well in key states Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Jay Inslee Inslee has been governor of Washington since 2013. His bid was centred around climate change AFP/Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: John Hickenlooper The former governor of Colorado aimed to sell himself as an effective leader who was open to compromise, but failed to make a splash on the national stage Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Tim Ryan Ohio representative Tim Ryan ran on a campaign that hinged on his working class roots, though his messaging did not appear to resonate with voters Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Tom Steyer Democratic presidential hopeful billionaire and philanthropist Tom Steyer is a longtime Democratic donor AFP/Getty

If that sounds familiar — well, again, yes. This is what conventions are for. In 2016, Clinton gave Sanders a speaking slot, and adopted many of his ideas for the party platform. Sanders may now have a chance to do the same for those who ran against him.