Independent Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders says he doesn't take it personally.
He has been open about his willingness to challenge Hillary Clinton, who is expected to announce her candidacy this weekend, and give progressives a voice in the Democratic presidential primary. But while Sanders tours the country delivering fiery speeches railing against the "billionaire class," many progressives remain preoccupied with a candidate who has repeatedly said she isn't running -- Massachusetts Democratic Sen. Elizabeth Warren.
"It's not about me and it's not about Elizabeth. Elizabeth is a great senator and a good friend of mine," Sanders said in an interview following a rally in Chicago where he campaigned for mayoral candidate Jesus "Chuy" Garcia last week. "It is about: 'Can we bring together working people to stand up and take on the billionaire class?' Nothing personal about this at all, Elizabeth and I are good friends."
Sanders, who has been labeled a socialist, has made multiple visits to the early voting states of Iowa and New Hampshire this year and recently completed a five-day trip that took him through California, Nevada, Texas and Illinois. He has drawn large and receptive crowds eager to hear him passionately denounce the Koch brothers and Citizens United while calling for a "political revolution" to reignite the middle class.
But as Sanders fires up liberals around the country, Warren's non-existent campaign continues to loom. After the Chicago rally, Sanders politely thanked a supporter who tells him that she likes him "just as much as Elizabeth Warren." Another progressive holding a "Run, Bernie, Run" sign said he supports both senators "but there is no way Elizabeth Warren is going to run for president."
The efforts of influential progressive organizations remain focused on Warren as the greatest hope the left wing of the party has in influencing Clinton, the overwhelming favorite to capture the Democratic nomination in 2016. All the while, Sanders continues to move closer and closer to announcing his own campaign.
Democracy For America and MoveOn partnered to form "Run Warren Run" to encourage her to join the race. They have built an infrastructure in early voting states for Warren's presidential campaign, along with helping to recruit small-dollar donors.
"If I run, I have to run a good campaign, not for myself but for all the people out there."
"Certainly Bernie has been carrying this debate for years and he's very seriously considering it, which is why we didn't do a draft campaign for him," said Jim Dean, chair of Democracy for America.
"This isn't an either or proposition for us," he added.
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Why Aren't Progressives Excited About Bernie Sanders in 2016?