Former RNC official sees 'ghosts' of Trump's 2016 race in Sanders' campaign

Tim Miller, once a spokesman for the RNC and a former strategist for former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, joined the hosts of ABC News' "Powerhouse Politics" podcast on Wednesday, offering his insight on the neck-and-neck race between 2020 Democrats -- Sen. Bernie Sanders and former Vice President Joe Biden -- ahead of the Iowa caucuses.

Miller said the anti-establishment campaign run by Sanders has brought him déjà vu -- reminding him in many ways of then-candidate Donald Trump's 2016 campaign.

"Obviously there are many differences between Bernie and Trump from a policy standpoint, but kind of the animating features of their campaign and what is appealing to them is very much a deja vu," Miller told the hosts, ABC News' Political Director Rick Klein and Chief White House Correspondent Johnathan Karl. " I think there is very much deja vu at the state of the Democratic Party and how kind of the inmates are taking over the asylum and the establishment."

In a recent article for his advocacy group's protect "The Bullwark," Miller laid out the influence anti-establishment candidates in the past have had on the 2020 Democratic candidates.

"His supporters come from pockets of the country and the Internet that have been rejected or mocked by many of these status makers," he said of Sanders in his article, adding that the anti-establishment movement "creates new types of political celebrities who would be totally unrecognizable to your average news consumer."

Miller said watching the establishment Democrats, such as Biden, working to stop Sanders from clinching the nomination reminds him of his former RNC position.

"I lived making those phone calls to, you know, Republican establishment figures, asking them to speak out," Miller said. "And, you know, by the time folks really wanted to act against Trump, it was too late.

The hosts again turned to his article, asking Miller about his belief that a "ghost" of Utah Sen. Mitt Romney was haunting Biden, and if he thought the 2020 candidate could find himself falling into the same path as Romney -- a favorite of the establishment in 2012 -- who was later defeated by former President Barack Obama.

Klein also pointed out that despite arguments rising at debates and among campaign ads, the gloves between Democrats have stayed on for the most part.

In response, Miller said the nomination ultimately depends on the circumstances: What are the other candidates doing?

"When you look at this primary, the question is, can Biden go follow that Romney path with the help of maybe [Sen.] Elizabeth Warren staying around a little bit longer than she should ... or does Biden kind of fall victim to, you know, what the sort of established Republicans saw in 2016, which was a lot of infighting and jockeying while the populist insurgent Trump, And in this case, Bernie, you know, run away with the nomination."

He added, "I think that's where the decisions that [Sen.] Amy Klobuchar makes that [former New York mayor] Mike Bloomberg may actually be more important than people realize."

Biden may be the last of his type of Democrat, Klein pointed out, as Democratic voters seem to be more attracted to the insurgent or populist movement surrounding candidates like Sanders.

Miller seemed to agree, again drawing contrast between the 2016 Trump campaign and Sanders' ongoing campaign.

"We as establishment figures were trying to figure out how do we kind of tame this bear," he said of Trump's 2016 campaign, adding "How do we throw them enough red meat while kind of maintaining the principles and responsibilities that we feel like we should?"

He told the hosts that the Democrats will have to go through the same journey, but will have to co-opt it in a more effective way than the RNC did in 2012 and in 2016.

"Does Bernie have a path to the presidency? Absolutely," he said, adding that Sanders would first have to take back the Midwestern states he's lost.

He added, "So, anyway, short answer, yes, he can win."

But he said Biden too could win, especially if he were to pick up the voters that Sanders left behind.

Biden has recently touted himself as the safest option to face Trump in a new campaign ad, warning voters that "this is no time to take a risk."

A recent ABC/Washington Post poll also shows that economic prosperity is giving Trump a boost as he closely trails behind many of the 2020 Democratic candidates, including Biden and Sanders.

The poll on Trump's performance comes in the midst of the ongoing Senate impeachment trial.

Powerhouse Politics podcast is a weekly program that posts every Wednesday, and includes headliner interviews and in-depth looks at the people and events shaping U.S. politics. Powerhouse Politics podcast is hosted by ABC News Chief White House Correspondent Jonathan Karl and ABC News Political Director Rick Klein.