WASHINGTON (Sputnik) – On Wednesday, a new McClatchy-Marist poll revealed that Clinton has the support of only 57 percent of voters who backed Sanders. This poll was conducted before Sanders endorsed Clinton at an event in New Hampshire on Tuesday.
"For Clinton, the benefits of Sanders’ endorsement are obvious," Woodrow Wilson Center senior analyst Shihoko Goto said. “But whether she can connect with the younger voters and keep their passion alive will be a struggle.”
Sanders, for his part, Goto suggested, risks suffering a backlash from idealistic young voters who believed he had betrayed his principles by throwing his support behind Clinton.
Sanders has to decide, Goto noted, whether to leverage his leadership role in the progressive movement to influence Congress or secure a seat in Clinton’s cabinet if she is elected.
"Whether he can secure a cabinet post as a result would be interesting," Goto added.
Retired Brown University Assistant Economics Professor Barry Friedman told Sputnik that despite Sanders’ endorsement Clinton was likely to stick to her established program, which Sanders will be challenged to influence even after she gets elected.
"I don't understand how Clinton's economic reform policies will be affected unless Sanders can bring in a big number of House and Senate seats," Friedman explained. “What if he [Sanders] continues to promise more than can be delivered without big congressional majorities?"
Clinton’s record as a cautious and incremental liberal reformer was bound to clash with Sanders’ bolder and more visionary Social Democratic agenda, Friedman pointed out.
"I don't think she is a strong socialist but would propose a lot of help in job training, infrastructure projects, perhaps corporate tax reform,” Friedman noted.
Despite Sanders’ endorsement, Quinnipiac opinion polls this week showed Republican presumptive candidate Donald Trump leading Clinton in two of the most important and heavily populated states, Ohio and Florida, while tying her in Pennsylvania.
