Our Revolution, the liberal activist group born out of Vermont senator Bernie Sanders's 2016 presidential campaign, is publicly feuding with Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris over her decision to tout "endorsements from figures like Liz Cheney and other Republicans."
In a press release issued Wednesday—less than two weeks before Election Day—the group said Harris is wasting "precious time chasing GOP endorsements that won't translate into votes." The release included a survey of thousands of "progressive voters," 15 percent of whom said they would not vote for Harris due, in part, to her "strategy of embracing Republican figures like Liz Cheney."
"We've seen time and time again that it is not a winning strategy," said Our Revolution executive director Joseph Geevarghese. "In a world of limited time and resources, Democrats should invest resources in their base, not in courting Republicans who aren't coming over."
"Our survey and reports from the field tell us that progressives are deeply concerned about the campaign's focus on appeasing conservatives while ignoring the bread-and-butter issues that matter most to working families."
The group's willingness to spar with Harris in the open just days before the election could spell trouble for the vice president. Harris is polling neck-and-neck with former president Donald Trump in swing states such as Michigan, where more than 100,000 people voted "uncommitted" in the state's Democratic primary. Our Revolution endorsed that effort, which was led by Rep. Rashida Tlaib's (D., Mich.) sister.
Cheney has been central to Harris's closing message, with the pair holding events in recent days in the "blue wall" states of Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin. Democrats have won those states in every election since 1992, except in 2016 when Trump carried all three. For Geevarghese, Harris's decision to deploy Cheney to shore up support among "blue wall" voters is misguided.
"The Republican electorate isn't following Cheney's lead in any meaningful numbers," he said. "Democrats must lean into policies that matter to working people, such as raising the minimum wage, canceling student debt, and expanding healthcare. This is how we mobilize and inspire the voters we need to win in November."
Harris parroted many of Sanders's policies while serving in the Senate and running for president in 2019. A two-time cosponsor of Sanders's Medicare for All bill, Harris touted a single-payer system during a January 2019 town hall, saying, "I actually feel very strongly" about "the need to have Medicare for All." When CNN's Jake Tapper asked whether Harris's system would allow Americans to keep their private health insurance, Harris responded, "Let's eliminate all of that. Let's move on."
That answer, however, prompted pushback, and Harris went on to reverse her position, releasing a Medicare for All plan that preserved a role for private companies. Shortly after Harris replaced President Joe Biden at the top of the ticket in July, an anonymous campaign official said she "no longer backs a single-payer health care system," one of many flip-flops that have plagued Harris's campaign against Trump.
As Harris has embraced Cheney, vulnerable Senate Democrats have embraced Trump, with Pennsylvania's Bob Casey and Wisconsin's Tammy Baldwin running ads that highlight their work with the former president. Harris has taken a different approach, denouncing Trump as a "fascist" during a surprise Wednesday afternoon speech at the vice president's residence.
Sanders himself has hit the campaign trail for Harris in recent days and applauded Cheney for endorsing Harris. Sanders has broken with Our Revolution before—in February, he declined to join the "uncommitted" movement against Biden after Our Revolution endorsed it.