NEW YORK CITY — Tad Devine, who served as Bernie Sanders's chief strategist during the 2016 presidential campaign, will release a book titled "How the Democrats Screwed Bernie" on July 7, 2026. Devine is a 30-year Democratic operative who previously worked for Al Gore and John Kerry.

Discussing the 2016 election, Devine said, "I said on that phone call that I thought Hillary Clinton was a weak candidate in the general election." He also noted that Sanders would not describe himself as a Democrat. "Bernie would never say 'I'm a Democrat.' Those words would not come out of his mouth," Devine said.

Devine argued that primary votes are the most valid test of political strength. "Those tests are the most valid test of political strength," he said. "I would argue it's as valid, or perhaps even more valid, than polling because when you have millions of people voting in primaries, that's a better test of political strength than 1,000 people who made it into a poll."

In the 2016 Democratic primary, Hillary Clinton secured nearly all of the party's 800 superdelegates before primary votes were cast. Superdelegates accounted for approximately 40% of the votes needed to secure the Democratic nomination that year. In the 2016 Iowa caucuses, Clinton won with 49.9% of the vote, while Sanders received 49.6%. Leaked Democratic National Committee emails surfaced during the Democratic National Convention in July 2016. Following the 2016 election, the Democratic National Committee reformed the superdelegate system.

Devine commented on subsequent elections, stating, "It tells me that the voters in 2020 were looking for something different than they were looking for in 2016." He cited New York as an example of structural issues. "I think New York State is a great example of this. These are places where the limitations within the primary structure, keeping people out of participating in primaries," Devine said.

In the 2016 general election, Donald Trump won Wisconsin, Michigan, and New Hampshire. Harry Reid served as the Senate Democratic leader in 2016. John Ralston wrote an article concerning the 2016 Nevada caucuses.