The discussion about Mr. Sanders has to date been largely confined to private settings because — like establishment Republicans in 2016 — Democrats are uneasy about elevating him or alienating his supporters.

The matter of What To Do About Bernie and the larger imperative of party unity has, for example, hovered over a series of previously undisclosed Democratic dinners in New York and Washington organized by the longtime party financier Bernard Schwartz. The gatherings have included scores from the moderate or center-left wing of the party, including Speaker Nancy Pelosi of California; Senator Chuck Schumer of New York, the minority leader; former Gov. Terry McAuliffe of Virginia; Mayor Pete Buttigieg of South Bend, Ind., himself a presidential candidate; and the president of the Center for American Progress, Neera Tanden.

FLORENCE, S.C. – Florence Mayor Stephen J. Wukela has endorsed 2020 presidential candidate Bernie Sanders.

The Sanders campaign announced the endorsement Wednesday afternoon.

"This election is about a one simple question: What candidate is out there fighting every day for working families? Time and again, the answer to that question is always Senator Bernie Sanders,” Wukela said in a news release Wednesday. “That’s why he’s winning in battleground states like Florida, Pennsylvania and Michigan, and that’s why he’ll win in South Carolina.

"We don’t need a plan to appease insurance companies; we need Medicare for All. We don’t need to raise teacher salaries, we need to double them. We need real change. We need a leader to finish the work FDR started. We need Bernie Sanders."