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Ex-2020 candidate Mike Gravel supports Sanders and Gabbard

Former 2020 candidate Sen. Mike Gravel (D-Alaska)
Mike Gravel. Photo: Josh Lawton/Digital First Media/Boulder Daily Camera/Getty Images

Former 2020 candidate Mike Gravel (D-Alaska) on Tuesday shared his support for Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and backed Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (D-Hawaii) on social media Thursday.

The big picture: Gravel previously said he'd be interested in endorsing either Sanders or Gabbard, but commented that he likes Gabbard for her non-interventionist foreign policy ideas, per the Atlantic. However, Gravel's former campaign manager David Oks said Sanders is a better choice, since Sanders' chances of securing the party nomination are stronger than Gabbard's, reports the Daily Beast.

What he's saying: Gravel says Sanders "will be a great president for all Americans."

  • Gravel also said he's impressed with Gabbard's "courage in opposing the military industry complex."

Context: Gravel, the 89-year-old former Alaska senator, dropped out of the 2020 race on Aug. 2, reports Politico. Teenagers, including 17-year-old Oks, had recruited Gravel to join the race in hopes of qualifying for the debates to push the Democratic field further to the left.

  • Sanders responded to Gravel's endorsement, tweeting: "Thank you Senator Gravel. Together we will end forever wars, fight for an economy that works for all of us, and bring millions of people into the political process."

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Mike Gravel