Nurses’ Union Boosts Bernie Sanders Ahead of California Primary

The Golden State’s band of so-called political “mischief makers, the California Nurse’s Association, has endorsed Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) for president and is aiming to help his candidacy ahead of the critical California primary.

“They always underestimate us because we’re women,” RoseAnn DeMoro, the union’s executive director told the Los Angeles Times. DeMoro, who is also the executive director of the National Nurses United PAC, which the California group co-founded in 2009, added: “We’re going to have a lot of fun.”

The union has appeared on Sanders behalf at many protests thus far, and is planning more of the same. The question remains as to whether or not that will be enough to make enough of an impact.

The CNA infamously disrupted Meg Whitman’s campaign for governor of California against Jerry Brown in 2010.

They hired an actress to dress up as “Queen Meg” — wearing a crown, white gloves and a sash — and had her follow Whitman around the state during her public and private campaigning proclaiming “Healthcare for the rich, education for the few, prisons for all.” The union also trolled Whitman for having hired an illegal immigrant as her housekeeper, and then brought in celebrity lawyer Gloria Allred.

The CNA reportedly has 900,000 members in California. The June 7 primary will decide whether Clinton seals the nomination — or whether Democrats move to a contested convention, which Sanders has predicted. The Times notes that through its super PAC, the National Nurses United has already spent over $2.4 million backing Sanders and has started running phone banks, hosting rallies, and putting up billboards.

According to the local CBS News affiliate in the Bay Area, Sanders has stated his plans to hold rallies for “hundreds of thousands” of people in California over the next few weeks.

CNN notes that Sanders had 1,359 pledged delegates and 42 superdelegates, while Clinton had 1,666 pledged delegates and 502 superdelegates. This first person with 2,383 delegates will win the Democratic Party’s nomination.

The last day to register to vote for the primary is May 23rd. Unlike the Republican primary, which is only open to registered Republicans, the Democratic primary is open to both Democrats and those who decline to state a party affiliation.

Follow Adelle Nazarian on Twitter @AdelleNaz