Sen. Bernie Sanders (I., Vt.) said on Sunday that his supporters should elect presumptive Democratic nominee Joe Biden so they can keep pushing the country further to the left.
"We're going to do everything that we can to elect Biden and—after he's elected—move this country in as progressive a way as we possibly can," Sanders said on CNN's State of the Union. He added that such lobbying would include his signature Medicare for All health care policy proposal, among other left-wing measures.
Since Sanders dropped out of the Democratic presidential primary in April, his supporters have counted on Biden picking a progressive running mate to meet their policy goals.
While the media praised Biden's announcement last week that Sen. Kamala Harris (D., Calif.) will serve as his running mate, Democrats were divided about whether the California senator is a left-wing candidate.
Sanders's former national press secretary, Briahna Joy Gray, said the Harris pick demonstrates the Democratic Party's "contempt for the base."
Former Obama speechwriter Jon Favreau, however, mocked the media for describing Harris as a "moderate," saying instead that Harris has "one of the most liberal records in the U.S. Senate."
For her own part, Harris has said that she is a "progressive Democrat." She has backed this up by being the first candidate on a presidential ticket to support gun confiscation through buyback programs. She also co-sponsored a bill with far-left congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D., N.Y.) combating "environmental racism," which some groups saw as a foundation for the Green New Deal.
Joe Biden, who is also considered a "moderate," said last week that he intends to have "the most progressive administration since FDR."