"Democracy is not always nice and quiet and gentle but that is where the Democratic Party should go," Bernie Sanders said. | Getty Sanders: Democratic convention will be 'messy'

Bernie Sanders expects the Democratic National Convention to be one thing for certain: “messy.”

In an interview with The Associated Press published on Monday, the Vermont senator suggested that Democrats would have to tolerate some measure of chaos if they wanted their party to welcome new voters into their ranks.


“I think if they make the right choice and open the doors to working class people and young people and create the kind of dynamism that the Democratic Party needs, it’s going to be messy,” he said. “Democracy is not always nice and quiet and gentle but that is where the Democratic Party should go.”

Pressed by AP reporter Ken Thomas, Sanders made no apologies for comments that are likely to alarm Hillary Clinton’s supporters, who are hoping for a smooth convention in July.

“So what! Democracy is messy,” Sanders said. “Everyday my life is messy. But if you want everything to be quiet and orderly and allow, you know, just things to proceed without vigorous debate, that is not what democracy is about.”

Sanders also said he will “condemn any and all forms of violence” just days after Nevada’s Democratic Party filed a formal complaint accusing his campaign of inciting violence at its state convention.