Sanders: Clinton can beat Trump in November

Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders said he believes front-runner Hillary Clinton could beat presumptive GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump in November, but that his campaign brings more excitement that could help the Democratic Party gain control of the Senate.

“I’m not saying she cannot beat Donald Trump. I think she can. There’s a good chance she can,” Sanders told CNN’s Jake Tapper in an interview Sunday on “State of the Union.”

“I am the stronger candidate because we appeal to independents. People who are not in love with either the Democratic or Republican Party, often for very good reasons.”

He also said his campaign has a greater chance than Clinton of bringing Democratic victories up and down the ballot.

“Any objective assessment of our campaign versus Clinton’s camp, I think, will conclude we have the energy, we have the excitement, we have the young people, we have the working people, we can drive a large voter turnout so that we not only win the White House but we regain control of the Senate,” Sanders said.

Sanders acknowledged winning the nomination is an “uphill” battle, but he sees his path to the nomination through flipping Clinton superdelegates. He said they should reconsider their support of the former secretary of State if he gains the majority of pledged delegates.

Including superdelegates, Clinton has 2,293 of the 2,383 delegates needed to clinch the Democratic nomination.

Sanders has 1,533.