对于国会中脆弱的民主党人来说，2020年民主党初选的第一场比赛令人失望。

来自爱荷华州党团会议和新罕布什尔州初选的消息对该党的左翼和更温和的中间派来说是个好兆头，将两个意识形态上对立的候选人放在了最重要的位置:参议员伯尼·桑德斯。)和前印第安纳州南本德市市长皮特·巴蒂吉格。

但在大约40名处境最危险的议员中——他们被称为“前线民主党人”，大多是华盛顿新来者，他们在2018年推翻了唐纳德·特朗普总统赢得的选区——许多人支持前副总统乔·拜登和前纽约市长迈克·布隆伯格。

问题是，拜登迄今为止表现不佳，在已分配的代表比例中排名第五。与此同时，彭博社没有参与早期投票的州，包括爱荷华州、新罕布什尔州和南卡罗莱纳州，而是将资源集中在未来的摇摆州。

众议员布兰登·博伊尔说:“在过去的一两个星期里，我已经有几个——也许是五个左右——前线成员对和桑德斯一起竞选以及这对他们所在地区意味着什么表达了深切的关注。)告知新闻周刊。这位第三届国会议员虽然不是前线民主党人，但在拜登发起竞选的当天就支持了他。

弱势成员担心，像自称民主社会主义者的桑德斯这样的人，不仅会毁掉民主党人驱逐特朗普的机会，还会毁掉他们保持对众议院的控制、阻止参议院进一步沦为少数派的能力。拜登和布隆伯格——尽管这位亿万富翁的竞选活动启动较晚——都获得了至少六名一线民主党人的支持。

1月25日，参议员伯尼·桑德斯在爱荷华州艾姆斯的竞选站发表演讲后离开舞台。

“我们很多人都有这种担忧，”众议员迪恩·菲利普斯(Dean Phillips)告诉记者，他是一名温和派人士，曾在2018年颠覆了一个长期的共和党选区新闻周刊。像波义耳一样，他不是一个前沿分子，但他支持一个温和的明尼苏达州人，参议员艾米·克洛布查尔。

菲利普斯补充道:“如果这不是唐纳德·特朗普和民主党提名人之间的竞争，而是资本主义和社会主义之间的竞争，那对美国和民主党都是不健康的。”。

桑德斯否认了这一担忧，称他的竞选活动带来的选民投票率将有助于所有民主党候选人。

“当你投票时，你增加了投票率，你让劳动人民参与政治进程，让年轻人参与政治进程，”他说新闻周刊。"从选票的顶端到底端，大量的投票者将会帮助每个人。"

纽约众议员亚历山大·奥西奥·科尔特斯是布朗克斯区的一名民主党新生，曾是一名酒保，她承认并表示理解同事们的一些担忧。奥西奥-科尔特斯也自称是民主社会主义者，他是桑德斯的热情支持者，也是桑德斯竞选的最高代理人，在竞选中为他助选。

“我认为不管候选人是谁，都会有人担心，”奥西奥-科尔特斯告诉记者新闻周刊。“当你举办了一个如此大的派对，而且你从帐篷的一个角落找到了任何候选人，另一个角落的人们会有某种感觉。”

2月10日，众议员亚历山大·奥西奥·科尔特斯和参议员伯尼·桑德斯在新罕布什尔州达勒姆的惠特摩尔中心体育场举行竞选活动。

她还认为，每个议院的选举策略是不同的，参议院的竞选活动吸引了全州的观众，而众议院的选区往往更为单一。她还表示，一个比桑德斯更温和的提名人将会为党内的进步人士能否团结在他周围敲响“警钟”。

“我理解那些担忧。但我的意思是，最终这不仅仅是一个候选人，”奥西奥-科尔特斯补充道。“这将关系到整体投票率，我们真的能完成这件事吗？”

桑德斯的另一个支持者是众议员罗康纳(加州民主党)，他反驳了参议员在党团会议中引发恐惧的观点。

“没有人需要成为他的克隆，”康纳告诉新闻周刊。“如果他们所在的地区有不同意见，他们可以采取与他不同的立场。”

一些前线成员回避了桑德斯提名对他们和党意味着什么的问题。相反，他们转向为什么支持他们各自的候选人。

“桑德斯是一个独立的人。他不是民主党人，”支持彭博的众议员斯蒂芬妮·墨菲说。2016年，她颠覆了一个长期的共和党选区。

“[·布隆伯格]代表了民主党核心小组广泛持有的价值观——对制止枪支暴力、确保妇女获得医疗保健选择、应对气候变化的兴趣，”她说。

众议员哈利·史蒂文斯(密歇根州)在2018年推翻了特朗普选区，也支持彭博。

“我们关注枪支暴力、气候变化、降低医疗成本——这些都是这个家伙能做的，”她说。“他管理着复杂系统。他有确凿的背景。”

参议员道格·琼斯。由于杰夫·赛辛斯被任命为特朗普的司法部长后留下的空缺席位进行了特别选举，他被安排在参议院。他还面临着一场艰难的改选，他对特朗普弹劾条款定罪的投票几乎肯定无助于他在投票箱中与他的许多选民的机会。

当被问及是否能支持像桑德斯这样的候选人时，琼斯回答说:“我认为玩太多‘假设’游戏真的不合适。”。琼斯支持拜登。

“我们只经历了两次选举。还有一个长的“干得好，”他继续说道我仍然对我的候选人乔·拜登感到乐观。如果你看看来自新罕布什尔州的温和派人士，我想那就是我们要去的地方。"

支持克罗布查的明尼苏达州民主党人菲利普斯说，他会支持任何他认为能够击败特朗普的人，同时保持民主党对众议院的控制。尽管菲利普斯尊重桑德斯，但当谈到候选人的左倾政策以及如何实施这些政策时，他还是有些担心，有些人认为在这样一个两极分化的华盛顿实现这些政策太过极端和不现实。

“我认为他是在为比赛服务，我尊重这一点。但是我也认识到过度拉伸橡皮筋的后果。它断了，”菲利普斯说。“有时你不得不慢慢适应，我认为这个国家现在正在寻找后者。”

他详细阐述道，克罗布查和其他人最有可能使他们的倡议变成成果。

菲利普斯补充道:“她渴望与许多最自由的候选人一样的目标，但实现这些目标的策略是我认为艾米·克洛布查尔、迈克尔·布隆伯格以及现在越来越少的乔·拜登能够实现的。”。

这篇报道被更新为包括参议员伯尼·桑德斯的评论。

VULNERABLE DEMOCRATS BACK BIDEN AND BLOOMBERG OVER FEARS SANDERS' LIBERAL POLICIES WILL COST THEM AT THE POLLS

For vulnerable Democrats in Congress, the first contests in the 2020 Democratic primary were disappointing.

The news out of the Iowa caucuses and the New Hampshire primary boded well for the left-wing and more moderate center of the party, placing two ideologically opposing candidates at the top of the field: Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and former South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg.

But of the roughly 40 or so most at-risk lawmakers—who are known as "Frontline Democrats" and are mostly Washington newcomers who in 2018 flipped districts won by President Donald Trump—many back former Vice President Joe Biden and former New York Mayor Mike Bloomberg.

The problem is that Biden has so far underperformed and sits in fifth place for the fraction of delegates that have been doled out. Bloomberg, meanwhile, is sitting out the early-voting states, including Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina, to focus resources on swing states down the road.

"I have had several—maybe five or so Frontline members—over the last week or two voice deep concern about running with Sanders and what it would mean for them in their districts," Rep. Brendan Boyle (D-Pa.) told Newsweek. The third-term lawmaker, though not a Frontline Democrat, endorsed Biden the day he launched his campaign.

Vulnerable members fear that someone like Sanders, a self-described democratic socialist, could ruin not only the Democrats' chances at ousting Trump but also their ability to maintain control of the House and stop a further slide into the minority in the Senate. Biden and Bloomberg—despite the billionaire's late campaign launch—have each amassed the support of at least half a dozen Frontline Democrats.

Senator Bernie Sanders leaves the stage after speaking at a campaign stop in Ames, Iowa, on January 25.

"Many of us have that concern," Rep. Dean Phillips, a moderate who flipped a longtime Republican district in 2018, told Newsweek. Like Boyle, he's not a Frontliner, but he's endorsed a fellow moderate and Minnesotan, Sen. Amy Klobuchar.

"If this becomes a race not between Donald Trump and the Democratic nominee but between capitalism and socialism, that's both unhealthy for the country and certainly unhealthy for Democrats," Phillips added.

Sanders rejected the concerns, saying the voter turnout his campaign generates would help all Democratic candidates.

"When you vote, you grow the voter turnout and you bring working people into the political process and young people into the political process," he told Newsweek. "A large voter turnout is going to help everybody, from the top of the ticket to the bottom."

New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, the freshman Democrat from the Bronx who was once a bartender, acknowledged and said she understands some her colleagues fears. Also a self-described democratic socialist, Ocasio-Cortez is a passionate supporter of Sanders and a top surrogate for his campaign, stumping for him on the trail.

"I think there's going to be concerns, no matter who the candidate is," Ocasio-Cortez told Newsweek. "When you have a party that is such a big tent and you get any candidate from one corner of that tent, folks in the other corner are going to be feeling some type of way."

Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Senator Bernie Sanders during his February 10 campaign event at the Whittemore Center Arena in Durham, New Hampshire.

She also argued that the election strategies for each chamber are different, with Senate campaigns appealing to a statewide audience while House districts tend to be more homogenous. She also said that a nominee more moderate than Sanders would raise "alarm bells" over whether progressives in the party could unify around that person.

"I understand those concerns. But I mean, ultimately it's not just about one candidate," Ocasio-Cortez added. "It's going to be about overall turnout and can we really get this thing done."

Another endorser of Sanders is Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.), who pushed back on the notion the senator has spawned fear within the caucus.

"No one needs to be a clone of him," Khanna told Newsweek. "If they're in districts where they disagree, they can take positions that depart from him."

Several of the Frontline members sidestepped questions about what a Sanders nomination could mean for them and the party. Instead, they pivoted to why they support their respective candidate.

"Sanders is an independent. He is not a Democrat," said Rep. Stephanie Murphy (D-Fla.), who backs Bloomberg. She flipped a longtime Republican district in 2016.

"[Bloomberg] represents the values that are broadly held by the Democratic Caucus—an interest in stopping gun violence, making sure that women have access to their health care options, fighting climate change," she said.

Representative Haley Stevens (D-Mich.), who flipped a Trump district in 2018, also backs Bloomberg.

"We look at gun violence, climate change, lowering the cost of health care—these are all things that this guy can do," she said. "He's run complicated systems. He's got a proven background."

Senator Doug Jones (D-Ala.) was placed in the Senate thanks to a special election to fill the vacant seat left by Jeff Sessions after he was tapped as Trump's attorney general. He also faces a tough re-election, and his vote to convict Trump of the impeachment articles almost certainly do not help his chances at the ballot box with many of his constituents.

"I don't think it's really appropriate to play a lot of 'what if' games," Jones responded when asked whether he could get behind someone like Sanders as a nominee. Jones has endorsed Biden.

"We've only gone through two elections. There is still a long way to go here," he continued. "I'm still optimistic about my candidate, Joe Biden. If you look at the moderate folks that came out of New Hampshire, I think that's the place we're headed."

Phillips, the Minnesota Democrat who's backed Klobuchar, said he'll get behind anyone he believes can beat Trump while maintaining Democratic control of the House. Though Phillips respects Sanders, he's got concerns when it comes to the candidate's left-leaning policies and how to implement them, which some consider to be too extreme and unrealistic to accomplish in such a polarized Washington.

"I think he's doing the race a service, and I respect that. But I also recognize the consequences of stretching a rubber band too much. It snaps," Phillips said. "Sometimes you have to inch it along, and I think the country right now is looking for the latter."

Klobuchar and others, he elaborated, are most likely to make their initiatives become fruition.

"She aspires to the same objectives that many of the most liberal candidates do, but the tactics to achieve those objectives is where I think Amy Klobuchar, I think Michael Bloomberg and now, increasingly, to a lesser extent, I think Joe Biden can achieve," Phillips added.

This story was updated to include comment from Sen. Bernie Sanders.