WASHINGTON, Feb. 25 (Xinhua) -- U.S. presidential hopeful Bernie Sanders said Monday he "fully expects to be treated as well as anybody else," after party favoritism allegedly cost him the presidential nomination in 2016.

 

   "In 2016, I think I will not shock anybody to suggest that the DNC was not quite even handed. I think we have come a long way since then and I fully expect to be treated quite as well as anybody else," he told the press, referring to the Democratic National Committee by its acronym.
 

   The senator from the state of Vermont was pitted against former U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in the fight for Democratic presidential nomination in 2016. Leaked emails between DNC staffers suggested that the Democratic Party's governing body may have tilted the race in Clinton's favor.
 

   A number of high level party officials, including the then DNC chairperson Debbie Wasserman Schultz, resigned after the allegation surfaced.
 

   The episode damaged Clinton's standing among Democratic voters, and may have contributed to Clinton's ultimate defeat in the race against Republican candidate Donald Trump.
 

   Sanders announced last week that he will seek a second attempt at the White House, again campaigning on promises to enhance social welfare and imposing heavier tax on the rich.
 

   The New York Times reported Monday that about 40 percent of the donors that contributed to Sanders' campaign used email addresses that were new to the campaign, suggesting that Sanders had expanded his support base during the past four years.
 

   More prominent Democratic figures who have announced their presidential bid include Senator Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, Senator Kamala Harris of California, Senator Kirsten Gillibrand of New York and Senator Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota. Former Vice President Joe Biden is also known to be mulling a presidential bid.

   Sanders said Monday that he would support the Democratic presidential nominee, even if it's not him. 

 

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