title:  Sanders Campaign Begins To Raise Money For Down-Ticket Democratic Candidates
text: After months of criticism from the Clinton campaign over down-ticket candidates, the Sanders campaign has begun to raise and distribute cash to Democratic candidates across the country.But there s a catch: the only candidates who are receiving funding are those that have publicly come out and supported him, a trio of new wave progressives including New York s Zephyr Teachout, Nevada s Lucy Flores, and Washington state s Pramila Jayapal. But there s another catch: all three candidates are currently waging primary battles against more  establishment  candidates.Sanders, who has run on an a vehemently anti-establishment platform, wrote in his email:  When we talk of political revolution, we also need people who aren t beholden to special interests,  before introducing Zephyr Teachout as an outsider who  literally wrote the book on political corruption. Teachout ran in the Democratic primary for Governor of New York, gaining 34 percent of the vote but ultimately losing to incumbent Andrew Cuomo.Lucy Flores was a member of the Nevada State Assembly for four years and ran for the position of Lieutenant Governor in 2014, losing to Republican Mark Hutchison. For the 2016 election, she will run to replace Republican Cresent Hardy in the 4th Congressional District.Pramila Jayapal is currently a member of the Washington Senate and will be running in Washington s 7th Congressional District to succeed retiring Democrat Jim McDermott.Sanders  website sent out fundraising emails which encourages donors to split their donations between the Vermont Senator and the trio of candidates.Democrats hit the Sanders campaign heavily for raising over $109 million for his campaign while giving almost no money to Democratic candidates, while the Clinton campaign dispersed more than $15 million in 2016 alone.The money that is collected for down-ticket candidates goes straight to a fund called the Victory Fund, and will be distributed to Democrats who win their primaries heading into the general election.Featured image via Kenneth Gabrielsen/Getty Images