Sanders surrogate: Bernie doesn’t want to be Ralph Nader

There’s no chance that Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders launches an independent bid for president, according to Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.).

“Absolutely not,” Merkley, who has endorsed Sanders, said Monday on CNN’s “New Day.”

{mosads}“Bernie went into this and said, ‘There’s no way I’m going to be Ralph Nader,’” Merkley added, referring to Nader’s presidential run in 2000 that some Democrats think cost Al Gore the White House. “‘We’re not going to split the party or empower Republicans.’

“He understands the damage that [former President George W.] Bush did to this nation, and he’s not going to allow [Donald] Trump to follow on and do even more damage.”

Trump has repeatedly said that Sanders should abandon the Democrats and launch a third-party run as Hillary Clinton gets closer to winning the party’s nomination. 

Bernie Sanders is being treated very badly by the Dems. The system is rigged against him. He should run as an independent! Run Bernie, run.

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 16, 2016

“Bernie Sanders is being treated very badly by the Dems,” he tweeted. “The system is rigged against him. He should run as an independent! Run Bernie, run.”

Merkley on Monday said Trump is only trying to help himself by pushing the third-party idea.

“Trump is by and for himself,” Merkley said. “The substance just doesn’t go deeper, which is why we’re ensnared in all of these stories about his personality and his life and the way he treats women and so on and so forth.”