Pro-Clinton Senator Sees Something Trump-Like In Bernie Sanders' Rise

Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.) compared  Sen. Bernie Sanders ' rise in popularity within the Democratic presidential race to that of real estate mogul Donald Trump on the Republican side on Wednesday.

McCaskill, who declared her support for Hillary Clinton  back in 2013, told CNN's "New Day"  that both Sanders and Trump are tapping into public "cynicism and frustration with the government." 

"People are really aggravated at the government right now," McCaskill said. "There are a lot of people that are just going, 'Really? You guys can't get anything done? All you do is fight.'"

McCaskill, who previously called the Vermont independent senator "too liberal " to win the Democratic nomination, also noted that both men have so far avoided super PAC ties. Trump is mainly financing himself , and Sanders refuses to accept support  from a super PAC.

While McCaskill isn't the only person to draw comparisons  between the two candidates, Sanders rejected the idea  on NBC's "Meet the Press" this month.

"I think the chord that we are touching all over the country is that people are profoundly disgusted with the economics that make the richest people richer and everybody else poorer," Sanders said. 

Trump is -- as he often reminds people -- very, very rich.

McCaskill's comments came on the same day that Sanders topped Clinton in a New Hampshire poll .