Sanders, who appeared as a guest on The Daily 202 Live, was asked by host James Hohmann if Perez’s endorsement of Cuomo was a mistake in a Democratic race that also includes actress Cynthia Nixon, who has won the backing of several liberal organizations.
“Absolutely,” Sanders said, noting he has worked well with Perez on some other issues.
Nixon has been endorsed by Our Revolution, a progressive political organization that grew out of Sanders’s 2016 presidential campaign.
Perez’s endorsement of Cuomo last week at an event in Long Island rankled many progressives, including Rep. Keith Ellison (D-Minn.), who lost the race for DNC chairman to Perez last year and was named deputy chairman of the organization.
In a statement last week, Ellison suggested the Democratic Party should not be intervening in the primary process, saying: “It is our role to be fair to all contestants and let the voters decide.”
Sanders, who backed Ellison in the race for DNC chairman last year, told Hohmann he still wishes Ellison had prevailed over Perez.
“Keith is a very good friend of mine, and I’m sorry he was not elected chair of the DNC,” Sanders said.
Ellison, a high-profile supporter of Sanders’s upstart presidential bid, announced Tuesday he is running for attorney general in Minnesota and will be leaving Congress.
Sanders, who is seeking reelection this year to his Senate seat, was coy when asked about his plans beyond that.
When asked by Hohmann when he might decide about making another presidential bid, Sanders said: “At the appropriate time.”
