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| POSTED ON: May 23, 2016

A fundraising email from Bernie Sanders on Sunday netted a progressive House candidate challenging Democratic National Committee Chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz more than a quarter of a million dollars in donations, in a single day.

The six-figure haul for law professor Tim Canova, running to unseat Wasserman Schultz in the south Florida House district she's represented for six terms, demonstrates Sanders' power to harness liberals' frustration with the political status quo -- despite his shrinking chances against Hillary Clinton for the Democratic presidential nomination.

On Monday, Canova compared himself to now-Rep. Dave Brat, the little-known college professor and tea party favorite who stunned the political world by unseating then-House Majority Leader Eric Cantor in the 2014 Virginia GOP congressional primary.

"Debbie Wasserman Schultz is a career politician," Canova, who teaches at Nova Southeastern University in Fort Lauderdale, said on MSNBC Monday, arguing her ties to the Democratic Party elites have blinded her on liberal positions, from criminal justice reform to the economy. "She has a very narrow view of politics and the world as a result … I see quite well the difficult job market my student and everyone else has right now. My opponent has been oblivious to this."

On Sunday, Sanders endorsed Canova on CNN's "State of the Union," and sent out an email on the professor's behalf. It was just the fourth time Sanders has used his influence – and valuable campaign email fundraising list – on behalf of a Democratic congressional candidate.

"On issues like taking on Wall Street, making tuition free at public colleges, and reforming our broken campaign finance system, [Canova] is someone you can be proud to support," wrote Sanders campaign manager Jeff Weaver.

"We're doing this because it is too late for establishment politics and establishment economics. We need real change," Sanders said. "We need U.S. Senators, members of Congress and state legislators who have the guts to take on the big money interests whose greed is destroying the American middle class."

Canova's campaign itself hit the $1 million mark earlier this month, an impressive feat for a first-time candidate, and that was before Sanders directed his supporters Canova's way. But he still trails Wasserman Schultz, a party heavyweight who reported a total intake of $1.8 million in filings at the end of April.

Like Sanders – and unlike Wasserman-Schultz – Canova opposes free trade deals like the Trans-Pacific Partnership, the massive 12-nation trade agreement finalized last year that awaits congressional approval. On that and other issues, Canova and Sanders have called Wasserman Schultz insufficiently progressive, although she has voted with Democrats 96 percent of the time.

"Well, clearly, I favor her opponent," Sanders, referring to Canova, said on CNN Sunday. "His views are much closer to mine than as to Wasserman Schultz's."

But Wasserman Schultz's real sin, according to progressives, has been her handling of the Democratic primary process as the DNC chairwoman.

Sanders supporters accuse Wasserman Schultz, who was a co-chair of Clinton's 2008 presidential campaign, of putting a thumb on the scale for Clinton this year. Although Wasserman Schultz has maintained official neutrality in the primary this year, critics say she designed a low-profile debate schedule that made it harder for Sanders, a little-known senator from Vermont, to break through.

In the "State of the Union" interview, Sanders said if he were elected president, he'd sack Wasserman Schultz as DNC chairwoman.

But both he and Canova face long odds of showing her the door.

Sanders trails Clinton by nearly 300 pledged delegates, and factoring in committed superdelegates, Clinton is just 90 delegates shy of the majority she needs to clinch the nomination.

Meanwhile, Wasserman Schultz's Fort Lauderdale-based district doesn't seem very receptive to Sanders' – or Canova's – message.

In her last election, Wasserman Schultz glided to re-election with more than 60 percent of the vote and hasn't faced a primary challenge since her first campaign.

In the Florida Democratic primary in March Clinton blew out Sanders by 31 points, 64 percent to 33 percent. Her victory in the 23rd was even wider: she crushed Sanders by 37 points.