Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders has chosen an unexpected campaign collaborator, announcing to CNN on Monday that he was about to link up with rapper Cardi B to film a 2020 campaign video meant to appeal to younger voters.
As he arrived at a Detroit a nail salon for the video shoot with Cardi B, the independent senator from Vermont told CNN that the younger generation’s political participation is vital to the nation’s future. “They are voting in large numbers, but not large enough numbers.”
He told CNN that he and the singer had talked about student debt, climate change and other campaign issues before filming at TEN Nail Bar.
Cardi B later thanked the senator in an Instagram post, saying she looked forward to seeing how he would fight for “economic, racial and social justice for all.”
Weeks earlier, she said, she had asked her followers to submit questions they’d like to ask a Democratic candidate, and she selected the most popular to bring to Sanders.
“Together, let’s build a movement of young people to transform this country,” she wrote, encouraging her followers in that post and others to learn about the candidates and to support Democrats.
Cardi B has made a number of political statements this month, including in an Instagram post supporting Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) and in an earlier tweet supporting Sanders.
“I been reading about Bernie Sanders and I’m really sad how we let him down in 2016,” she said on Twitter.
In an interview on “Jimmy Kimmel Live” Thursday, Sanders acknowledged that he had spoken with the singer over the phone on multiple occasions and said that she was “really smart, and she is deeply concerned about what’s happening.”
“She comes from a humble background. She knows what it’s like to live in poverty, to struggle. And she wants to make sure we can improve life for working people in the country, and I’m delighted that she is supportive.”