Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders said Wednesday night that the Democrats' incredible loss against "an extreme right-wing party that is so out of touch" shows that Democratic leadership is broken and needs to be replaced.

"Clearly, whatever the leadership of the Democratic Party has been doing, over the last many years, has failed," Sanders said.

Sanders was speaking to progressives and grassroots supporters at a Washington, D.C., event to support Rep. Keith Ellison's bid to be the next leader of the Democratic National Committee. Sanders called for an end to the status quo that has seen Democrats lose both houses of Congress and the White House, plus nearly a dozen governorships and hundreds of state legislative seats.

Ellison, who is co-chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, echoed Sanders, calling for a reset of the Democratic Party on the basis of working people.

"Even a good car sometimes needs a tune-up," Ellison said.

Watch the event here: