Sanders says he's backing DNC chair's primary opponent

"Well, clearly, I favor her opponent", Sanders told Tapper.

When asked about the growing tensions on CNN Wednesday, Sanders campaign manager Jeff Weaver tried to downplay conflict with the party as a whole by singling out Wasserman Schultz for "throwing shade".

Let me also say this, in all due respect to the current chairperson: "If [I am] elected president, she would not be re-appointed chairwoman of the DNC".

Democratic Party leaders exploited the chaos at the Nevada convention this week, which Sanders and his backers say was thoroughly undemocratic, in order to attack his campaign.

Sanders has repeatedly accused the DNC, which is neutral in the Democratic primary, of favoring his rival, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

Well, now, some liberal activists are blaming her for the major division in the Democratic party.

Canova, a one-time adviser to Sanders who now teaches law and finance at a southeast Florida college, has endorsed the senator's presidential bid and used it as a model for his own run.

Last weekend saw a chaotic state convention in Nevada in which Sanders supporters angrily opposed rules they thought unfairly benefited Democratic front-runner Hillary ClintonHillary Rodham ClintonDNC chair staying neutral after Sanders backed her opponent Clinton releases video slamming Trump's foreign policy qualifications Clinton releases new ad attacking Trump's foreign policy "qualifications" MORE.

Sanders has shown new resolve to remain in the race and campaign aggressively against Clinton, buoyed by polls showing him beating presumptive GOP nominee Donald Trump by a greater margin, The New York Times reported. "Together, I feel confident that our campaign of nurses, teachers, students, seniors and working-class Floridians can work together to demand accountability from our leaders, and offer a more positive path forward to the people of Florida's 23rd district".

Wasserman Schultz, who entered Congress in 2005 and became DNC chair in 2011, faces a primary challenge on 30 August.

"The chairwoman of the Democratic National Committee, it is clear nearly from the get-go that she has been working against Bernie Sanders - there's no doubt about it, for personal reasons", Jeff Weaver, Sanders' campaign manager, said of Wasserman Schultz on MSNBC. Wasserman Schultz does not meet that standard. "This is a test of leadership as we all know, and I'm hopeful and very confident Sen". When asked about that comment, Wasserman Schultz told CNN "my response to that is hashtag SMH", a popular social media acronym that stands for "shaking my head".

Weaver noted that the DNC has drastically limited the number of presidential debates to just six (the 2008 presidential campaign had 26 debates, which helped the then little-known Barack Obama get more attention). Since the convention, state party Chairwoman Lange has been harassed with threatening messages and phone calls, including death threats, and has had to be equipped with a security detail, police said.