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Charlie Rangel: ‘If You Gave Bernie a Pencil, He Could Not Win a Victory Here’

April 18, 2016

Hillary Clinton supporter Rep. Charlie Rangel (D., N.Y.) said Monday that if Sen. Bernie Sanders (I., Vt.), Clinton’s Democratic primary opponent, were given a pencil, he would still be unable to win Tuesday’s New York primary or the party’s nomination.

Appearing on CNN with host Brooke Baldwin, Rangel was confident that Clinton will win New York comfortably and become the Democratic nominee.

"It’s not an uphill battle [for Clinton]," Rangel said.

"If you gave Bernie a pencil," he continued, holding his hand in a writing position, "he could not win a victory here [in New York]. Not here, not in the country. But it’s good to have him exciting young people."

It is unclear what exactly the New York congressman meant by his statement.

Washington Free Beacon analysis found no famous saying that connects giving someone a pencil to achieving political victory, although Rangel is 85 years old, so he may have been referencing an old saying that went out of fashion in the early or mid-20th century.

Clinton, who served two terms as a Senator representing New York, is expected to win Tuesday’s primary and maintains a comfortable double-digit lead in recent polls.

The former first lady is fighting poor unfavorable ratings, however, as she moves forward in the nomination process, with a majority of Americans viewing her as unfavorable and dishonest.