WEST BURLINGTON, Iowa (AP) – Bernie Sanders doesn’t kiss babies. He promises them a revolution.
“This is for you,” the upstart Democratic presidential candidate told 3-month-old Lily Landretti after an event in southeastern Iowa. He meant his insurgent campaign. Lily just kept gurgling.
In an age of carefully planned campaigns, the Vermont senator is different. A self-identified grump, Sanders gets angry, rolls up his sleeves and winds up drenched in sweat. Like Donald Trump in the Republican race, Sanders has been drawing big crowds and giving the buttoned-up candidates a run for their money.
For his supporters, Sanders’ grouchy persona is one of his charms. They say he feels like a real person, not a slick politician. They believe him when he bellows his unvarnished liberal message, pledging to work for single-payer health care, paid maternity leave and a higher minimum wage.
“I wanted to give him a hug,” said Lily’s mom, Jane Landretti, 37, of Madison, Wisconsin. She said he’s like a “very smart thinking grandpa.”