Team Bernie Sanders is reportedly quietly encouraging Ro Khanna to run in 2024 if Biden sits out


Top progressives and officials from Sen. Bernie Sanders' (I-Vt.) presidential campaign are quietly encouraging Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) to pursue a 2024 presidential run if President Biden declines to seek a second term, Politico reports Thursday.
Though Khanna has denied having any intention of running for president, Sanders allies and advisers view the California representative as a possible new face for progressives, and one with the power to unite different factions of the Democratic party, Politico writes.
"I'm not running in 2024," Khanna, 45, said. "I fully expect the president to run and intend to support him strongly." But Mark Longabaugh, a senior adviser for Sanders' 2016 presidential bid, and Jeff Weaver, Sanders' former presidential campaign manager, have reportedly been working behind the scenes to persuade Khanna in the event of a vacancy.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
"I think Ro would be a very effective candidate," Longabaugh said, stressing he was only referring to a 2024 race sans Biden. "His base would be in the progressive wing of the party, but I think his coalition could be bigger than that," he added later.
"I think he would have tremendous appeal among people who supported Bernie. I do, absolutely, 100 percent," Weaver told Politico, once again emphasizing he was only discussing Khanna's candidacy in an election without Biden. "He has a thoughtful take on the economy, which I think a lot of working-class people that Democrats have had difficulty reaching would hear."
Allies of Khanna's, who is the son of Indian immigrants, also believe the prospect of a President Ro would garner "financial support in the Indian American community and appeal to immigrants of all stripes," Politico reports.
Added Ben Cohen, Ben & Jerry's co-founder who worked with Khanna as co-chair on Sanders' 2020 campaign: "He's just an honest, sincere guy who really wants what's best for the majority of Americans."
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Brigid Kennedy worked at The Week from 2021 to 2023 as a staff writer, junior editor and then story editor, with an interest in U.S. politics, the economy and the music industry.
-
Trump set to hit Canada with 35% tariffs
Speed Read The president accused Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney of failing to stop the cross-border flow of fentanyl
-
Mahmoud Khalil files $20M claim over ICE detention
Speed Read This is the 'first damages complaint' brought by an individual targeted by the Trump's administration's 'crackdown' on Gaza war protesters
-
Trump threatens Brazil with 50% tariffs
Speed Read He accused Brazil's current president of leading a 'witch hunt' against far-right former leader Jair Bolsonaro
-
AI scammer fakes Rubio messages to top officials
Speed Read The unknown individual mimicked Rubio in voice and text messages sent to multiple government officials
-
SCOTUS greenlights Trump's federal firings
speed read The Trump administration can conduct mass federal firings without Congress' permission, the Supreme Court ruled
-
New tariffs set on 14 trading partners
Speed Read A new slate of tariffs will begin August 1 on imports from Japan, South Korea, Thailand and more
-
Elon Musk launching 'America Party'
Speed Read The tech mogul promised to form a new political party if Trump's megabill passed Congress
-
Judge blocks Trump's asylum ban at US border
Speed Read The president violated federal law by shutting down the US-Mexico border to asylum seekers, said the ruling