DNC 2020
Bernie Sanders reportedly wanted Harris to be Biden's running mate, even over Elizabeth Warren
Sen. Kamala Harris' (D-Calif.) vice presidential nomination disappointed a lot of progressives. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) reportedly wasn't one of them.
After exiting the Democratic primary race and effectively conceding the presidential nomination to former Vice President Joe Biden, Sanders stayed close to Biden and helped shape some of his campaign platform. That took form both through a set of Biden-Sanders unity task forces, and in Sanders influencing Biden's vice presidential pick, Bloomberg reports.
Sanders' advocacy pushed Biden to the left on a few issues, though it didn't get Biden to embrace signature progressive policies such as the Green New Deal or Medicare-for-all. But when it comes to Biden's running mate, Sanders reportedly got his top choice: Harris. Sanders "saw the California senator as the best boost for the ticket's chances against Trump," an anonymous source close to Sanders told Bloomberg. Sanders expressed his support for the Biden-Harris ticket on Sunday, telling ABC News he predicts an "overwhelming majority of progressives" will vote for them because they "understand that it is absolutely imperative that Donald Trump be defeated."
The Bloomberg report is especially surprising considering Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Sanders' close friend and fellow progressive, was also strongly considered to be Biden's running mate. Harris, Warren, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, and former National Security Adviser Susan Rice were reportedly Biden's final four contenders.