Pennsylvania Senate candidate John Fetterman (D)

A new trend? While Bernie Sanders has lagged far behind Hillary Clinton in endorsements from Democratic politicians, at least a couple of office-seekers running in contested primaries have thrown their support behind the Vermont senator recently—perhaps in an effort to boost their own campaigns. The newest such endorsement comes from former Nevada Assemblywoman Lucy Flores, and it's fairly surprising, seeing as she ran for lieutenant governor last cycle with backing from no less a figure than Harry Reid.

But as Jon Ralston notes, Flores has been "snubbed" by the establishment this time around (Reid's endorsed state Sen. Ruben Kihuen in the Democratic primary for the 4th Congressional District), and her fundraising has suffered, so this might actually be a smart way for her to harness her campaign to the intense grassroots enthusiasm powering the Sanders movement.

Flores' move comes not long after Braddock Mayor John Fetterman, who's making a bid for Senate in Pennsylvania, also joined Team Bernie. Unlike Flores, Fetterman is a true outsider, and his affinity for Sanders comes across as more genuine: You’s simply expect a populist crusader like Fetterman to get behind Sanders, who offers a similar message.

But what Fetterman and Flores have in common is that they're both running in multi-way primaries where they need only a plurality to win. So even if Sanders isn't capable of capturing the support of a majority of the Democratic Party (national polls have him getting around a third of the vote), if his backers unite behind a single downballot candidate in races like these, that could make all the difference.