Supporters of Democrat presidential primary frontrunner Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) stalked and harassed Democrat congressional candidate Betsy Dirksen Londrigan by attempting to trap her in a vehicle, according to a video captured Monday evening.
Facebook Live video shows pro-Sanders activists shouting at Londrigan — who is running in Illinois’ 13th Congressional district — and demanding that she debate her primary opponent, socialist Stefanie Smith.
Bizarre. Watch these Bernie Bros stalk @BetsyforIL and then surround her car last night, while they shout, "Block her in!" They scream at her to debate a fringe far-left candidate who only has 2 donors from Illinois. pic.twitter.com/CAw9aKu56R
— Mark Maxwell (@MarkMaxwellTV) February 26, 2020
“Will you support Medicare for All?” one activist is seen shouting at Londrigan.
At one point, the activists are heard urging “block her in” and to “get by her window.”
The Democrat candidate appeared with Smith at a recent forum and pledged to support her far-left opponent if she won; however, Smith refused to say whether she would support Londrigan if she won the primary.
“It was a non-violent protest,” Smith wrote in a Facebook post. “[I]f Betsy can’t handle a few people demanding a conversation about the life or death issues facing many of is [sic] in this district, she should quit now because she will not be able to handle Davis and Trump.”
In a subsequent Facebook video, Smith then expressed appreciation for the agitators’ actions, gushing: “I can’t tell you how much it meant to me when I watched the video of what happened.”
“Apparently, people are expecting me to make a statement,” she added. “They’re absolutely the most manipulative, childish, privileged, terrible people I’ve ever met in my life,” Smith said, complaining that, “campaigning has been a nightmare of alienation, hostility, humiliation, gaslighting, and so much abuse.”
A spokeswoman for incumbent Rep. Rodney Davis (R-IL) denounced the protest, urging more people to condemn “harassment” from pro-Sanders activists.
“In 2017, a Bernie supporter shot at Congressman Davis and other Republicans practicing for the Congressional Baseball Game,” said Davis spokesperson Ashley Phelps. “Since then, Congressman Davis has spoken out against this kind of violence and the harassment others have experienced, saying it shouldn’t happen to anyone. He wishes more people would speak out against this kind of harassment from Bernie supporters.”
COMMENTS
Please let us know if you're having issues with commenting.