Sen. Bernie Sanders (I., Vt.) said Tuesday evening that sticking to progressive policies on economic issues will help Vice President Kamala Harris and her running mate Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz win "pretty big" in November.
"I think to the degree that the vice president and the governor can stay focused on economic issues that benefit working people, demand that the billionaire class are paying their fair share of taxes—you know what? I think they’re going to not only win. I think they have a chance to win pretty big," Sanders said on CNN, shortly after Harris announced Walz will join her on the Democratic ticket.
The Democratic socialist’s advice to the Harris-Walz campaign comes amid mounting scrutiny over Harris’s economic record as vice president following Monday’s stock market plunge, with even Democratic strategists worrying that the market upheaval and fears of an imminent U.S. recession will be a "tremendously huge problem" for Harris.
Sanders suggested that Harris and Walz should focus on pushing progressive policies, such as raising taxes on the wealthy and expanding Medicare and Social Security. "That ain’t radical," the Vermont senator said.
While Sanders recently pledged to do "everything I can" to ensure Harris becomes president, support from the Democratic socialist could make it difficult for Harris to appeal to moderates as more and more voters may see her as too radical.
Sanders endorsed Walz days before Harris made her vice presidential pick public, praising the Minnesota governor as "an excellent governor who understands the needs of working families" and "who will speak up and take on powerful corporate interests."
Republican nominee Donald Trump, meanwhile, said Wednesday that he "could not be more thrilled" about Harris picking Walz as her running mate, calling the decision "a shocking pick" given he is a "very liberal man."
A Morning Consult poll last week found that nearly four in five voters think the economy is very important in deciding their vote in November, with 50 percent of voters favoring Republican nominee Donald Trump's handling of the economy and 42 percent favoring Harris.