Sanders camp discourages supporters from voting Trump

Bernie Sanders' campaign manager acknowledged Wednesday that the Democratic candidate's team must keep its supporters from voting for Donald Trump in the general election, even as a spate of recent polls and exit poll data suggested that the Vermont senator's backers could bolt for the Trump train if Hillary Clinton is the Democratic nominee.

"We're going to have to reach out to voters to keep them from voting for Trump," Jeff Weaver said in an interview with CNN, after it was pointed out that an exit poll of West Virginia Democrats voting for Sanders showed that 43 percent would support Trump against Clinton, while 27 percent would vote for the former secretary of state and 28 percent said neither.


But if Clinton is the Democratic nominee, Weaver added, "she'll have to reach out to the millions of people who support Sen. Sanders and his vision for transforming the American economy and the political system."

"It is always incumbent on the winner to reach out and try to bring in the people who supported their opponent," Weaver remarked.

As far as the 34 percent of Sanders voters who in the exit poll said they would support Trump against Sanders in November, Weaver pointed to West Virginia's history as a traditionally Democratic state that has turned more Republican in recent election cycles.

"That's one of the challenges that we face as a Democratic Party, how do we reach out to traditional Democrats, working class Democrats in places like West Virginia and bring those people back into the party? That's why a candidate like Bernie Sanders does so well," Weaver said, acknowledging that it "would take some work" and that it "could not be turned around overnight."