{"id":16963,"date":"2026-05-17T02:30:14","date_gmt":"2026-05-17T02:30:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/globalnewstoday.uk\/index.php\/2026\/05\/17\/bernie-sanders-backs-kyandra-darling-for-hd-62-florida-politics\/"},"modified":"2026-05-17T02:30:14","modified_gmt":"2026-05-17T02:30:14","slug":"bernie-sanders-backs-kyandra-darling-for-hd-62-florida-politics","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/globalnewstoday.uk\/index.php\/2026\/05\/17\/bernie-sanders-backs-kyandra-darling-for-hd-62-florida-politics\/","title":{"rendered":"Bernie Sanders backs Kyandra Darling for HD 62 – Florida Politics"},"content":{"rendered":"

U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders<\/b> has endorsed <\/span>Kyandra Darling<\/b><\/a> in her bid for Florida House District 62, throwing the Vermont progressive’s weight behind a Democratic Primary already drawing significant attention in the Tampa Bay area.<\/span>
Sanders rolled out the endorsement Friday as part of a slate of more than 60 progressive candidates running for state and local offices across the country, from Arizona to New Jersey. He first reported the wave of endorsements to <\/span>The New York Times<\/b><\/a>.<\/span>
“We’re building a movement for the future,” Sanders told the Times. “Our effort is to lead a national movement against Trump’s authoritarianism and kleptocracy and unnecessary wars and his contempt for the Constitution. But equally important, the American people need an alternative to the Democratic establishment, which is significantly dominated by big-money interests.”<\/span>
Darling’s campaign trumpeted the news in a text blast to supporters Friday morning, calling it a “big deal.”<\/span>
The endorsement adds to a growing list of high-profile backers, including U.S. Rep. <\/span>Kathy Castor<\/b><\/a>, former Chief Financial Officer <\/span>Alex Sink<\/b>, former state Rep. <\/span>Frank Peterman<\/b>, and former St. Petersburg Mayor <\/span>Rick Kriseman<\/b>. Ruth’s List Florida endorsed her last year.<\/span>
HD 62 spans parts of Pinellas and Hillsborough counties and leans heavily Democratic, with more than 49% of registered voters in the district affiliated with the party. The seat is open because state Rep. <\/span>Michele Rayner<\/b> is leaving the chamber to run for the Florida Senate.<\/span>
Darling, a fourth-generation St. Petersburg native and former staffer to then-U.S. Rep. <\/span>Charlie Crist<\/b>, faces former state Rep. <\/span>Wengay Newton<\/b> and Rayner’s legislative aide <\/span>Upton Fisher<\/b> in the Aug. 18 Democratic Primary. She has <\/span>dominated fundraising<\/b><\/a> in the contest, outpacing both opponents combined.<\/span>
Sanders, who has spent the past year on his Fighting Oligarchy Tour with U.S. Rep. <\/span>Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez<\/b>, has used the slate to seed a progressive bench in statehouses and city halls ahead of the 2026 cycle.<\/span>
\u2014
Ed. note<\/b>: This story was drafted with assistance from AI. Editorial judgment, sourcing, and final review were performed by Peter Schorsch and the Florida Politics editorial team.
Peter Schorsch is the President of Extensive Enterprises Media and is the publisher of FloridaPolitics.com, INFLUENCE Magazine, and Sunburn, the morning read of what\u2019s hot in Florida politics. Previous to his publishing efforts, Peter was a political consultant to dozens of congressional and state campaigns, as well as several of the state\u2019s largest governmental affairs and public relations firms. Peter lives in St. Petersburg with his wife, Michelle, and their daughter, Ella. Follow Peter on Twitter @PeterSchorschFL.
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