A new battlefront just opened in the Democratic Party’s Civil War.  Hillary Clinton’s close political ally has a new problem on her hands, one that could divert her attention away from keeping the Rodham candidacy on its path to the nomination.

Bernie Sanders is finally putting responsibility to his new party, the Democrats, first, in a step that may relieve it of one its biggest problems: Debbie Wasserman Schultz. Of course, Sanders’s motives have nothing to do with helping the party and everything to do with protesting the clear thumb on the scale in favor of Hillary Rodham Clinton by DNC Chair Schultz and the rest of the party apparatus.

 This morning (via Politico)

Sanders, speaking to CNN’s Jake Tapper in an interview airing Sunday on "State of the Union," delivered a measure of political payback by announcing his support for Wasserman Schultz’s challenger in the her south Florida-based district.

“Well, clearly, I favor her opponent,” Sanders said. “His views are much closer to mine than as to Wasserman Schultz’s.”

Sanders also told Tapper that if he were to be elected president, he wouldn’t want Wasserman Schultz leading the DNC.

The candidate Sanders will be backing:

Tim Canova, the law professor and a vocal critic of Wall Street who is challenging Wasserman Schultz.

POLITICO Florida reported last week that Canova is on pace to raise $1 million since he entered the race officially on Jan. 7 -- an astounding amount for a primary challenger, especially one who is taking on the leader of the national party.

Canova may have trouble defeating Wasserman Schultz. The district went for Hillary 69 to 30 percent. But then again, nobody expected the might Eric Cantor, number two House Republican, to fall to a primary opponent. And while the presidential preference primary in Florida was held in March, the primary for other offices is not until August 30^th, well after the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia. There could be a lot of black swans flying in between now and then.