The s-word is back to haunt Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D., Fla.). The DNC chair wouldn't say on Sunday if Bernie Sanders would be able to win in a general election given his socialist views.
Twice Wasserman Schultz was asked about Sanders' electability on CNN's State of the Union, and twice she ducked the question to bash Republican presidential candidates for holding what she says are extreme views.
"Bernie Sanders is a self-identified socialist. If he's your party's nominee would the socialist label hurt the Democratic Party's chances of winning the White House in 2016?" CNN reporter Dana Bash asked Wasserman Schultz.
"Dana, this election is going to be decided based on what the voters believe is the best choice in their candidate for president who is going to help make sure their lives can get better," Wasserman Schultz said.
"Any one of those candidates is in dramatic contrast to any of the Republican circus candidates—circus performers—on the other side," Wasserman Schultz said.
"Do you believe Bernie Sanders can beat any Republican?" Bash asked later.
"I believe that any one of our candidates will stand in stark contrast when it comes to the priorities of the American people," Wasserman Schultz said.
Establishment Democrats have been trying to fend off the growing challenge to Clinton's candidacy from the left wing of the party. The DNC has curtailed the number of debates between Democratic candidates, a move that has been criticized as part of an effort to ensure that Clinton gains the nomination despite her declining poll numbers.