Albert R. Hunt, Columnist

Virginia Governor's Race Isn't Just About the Candidates

Bernie Sanders and Steve Bannon aren't running, but they're shadow-campaigning.

October 29, 2017 at 2:00 PM UTC

Albert R. Hunt is a former Bloomberg Opinion columnist. He was the executive editor of Bloomberg News, before which he was a reporter, bureau chief and executive Washington editor at the Wall Street Journal.

Where's Bernie?
Photographer: Alex Wong/Getty Images

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Senator Bernie Sanders, the Vermont socialist, and Steve Bannon, the nationalist provocateur, are playing roles in the most important election this year, the Virginia governor's race.

Sanders, who gained his national following by running for the 2016 Democratic presidential nomination, has refused to endorse the Democratic candidate, Ralph Northam, a mainstream progressive. This signals the left-winger's determination to set ideological litmus tests for Democrats.