Sanders: ‘Establishment’ pick Clinton draws in early endorsements

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) said on Sunday that he is “not surprised” Democrats in Congress have thus far backed “establishment” 2016 candidate Hillary Clinton over his own White House bid.

“I think it’s clear to say that Clinton is the candidate for most members of Congress and the Democratic establishment,” Sanders said of the frontrunner for next year’s Democratic nomination.

{mosads}“I think we will get some congressional support as this campaign progresses,” the socialist independent told host Jake Tapper on CNN’s “State of the Union.”

The Hill reported on Friday that 26 of the 69 Democrats in the Congressional Progressive Caucus have already endorsed Clinton’s candidacy, while no lawmakers have backed Sanders yet.

Sanders vowed that support for his campaign would build as more voters hear his message.

“People are coming out to our meetings as they want to hear some straight talk, some truth, about what’s going on in America,” he said.

The Vermont lawmaker also criticized the role of campaign spending in national politics.

“[It is] essentially corrupt,” he said. “The Koch brothers can put as much money into the system as they want to elect candidates that make the rich richer.”

Sanders promised that, if elected, he would build an administration that counters the influence of wealthy special interests.

“My cabinet would not be dominated by representatives of Wall Street,” he said.

“I want a cabinet that is focused on rebuilding our crumbling infrastructure,” Sanders said. “We have to create a whole lot of jobs to put our kids back to work.”