Three out of four former delegates for Bernie Sanders at the 2016 Democratic National Convention now say he’s their first choice to be the party’s 2020 presidential nominee, while one out of 20 say he isn’t their first choice, according to a recently-released poll conducted in late December by the independent Bernie Delegates Network.

The chair of the California Democratic Party’s Progressive Caucus, Karen Bernal, said: “As the standard-bearer of policies finally considered mainstream by the base of our party, the importance of his presence in the upcoming presidential election cycle cannot be overstated — without him, the resistance to oligarchy and the war machine suffers.” Bernal was co-chair of California’s Sanders delegation to the national convention.

“The survey results are a green light for activating our network to advocate for making Senator Sanders the party’s 2020 presidential nominee,” said Norman Solomon, national coordinator of the online activist group RootsAction.org, who was a Sanders delegate from California and the coordinator of the Bernie Delegates Network at the 2016 convention.

Solomon added: “If there’s a Sanders 2020 presidential campaign, as now appears likely, it’s clear that he can count on support from a large majority of the people who were his delegates at the national convention. These are local leaders and activists who know how to organize effectively in their communities around the country.” Solomon is also executive director of the Institute for Public Accuracy.

The executive director of Progressive Democrats of America, Alan Minsky, said: “These results from the straw poll once again confirm the powerful base of support that Senator Sanders will have if he runs for president in 2020. We, at PDA, have already called upon Senator Sanders to run, as it is essential that his voice be prominent in a presidential election cycle that will address the most pressing issues facing the country and the world at a perilous moment in our history.”

See full news release from the Bernie Delegates Network: “Poll Finds 76 Percent of Bernie Sanders Former Delegates Say He’s ‘First Choice’ for 2020 Nominee; 5 Percent Say He Isn’t.”

The two organizations that sponsored the Bernie Delegates Network in 2016 — Progressive Democrats of America and RootsAction.org — are sponsoring the recently relaunched network.

For interviews, email: berniedelegates at rootsaction.org.