Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont) said Sunday that he still considers Vice President Harris a “progressive” despite her recent shift to a more centrist stance on some issues.
Asked whether he still considered Harris a progressive, Sanders said on NBC News' “Meet the Press.” “I do.”
While he noted that “she's not where I stand” on some issues, the progressive leader praised Harris' support for a permanent child tax credit, creating more affordable housing units and making it easier for people to join labor unions.
“Certainly, her views are not my own, but I view her as a progressive,” Sanders said.
Harris has faced questions about shifting policy positions, including “Medicare for All” and a ban on fracking, both of which she no longer supports.
But Sanders defended Harris' change of course, saying they share the same goals of achieving universal health care and tackling climate change, even if they differ on how to achieve them.
“No, I don't think she's abandoning her ideals,” he said. “I think she's trying to be pragmatic and trying to do what she thinks is right to win the election.”
“My own view is a little bit different. I think there are a lot of people in America today, rural people, working class people, people who no longer believe that the United States, Congress, or government represents their interests,” he said.
Sanders said he “personally” thinks “there's something wrong” that the United States is the only major country that doesn't guarantee health insurance to everyone, despite spending twice as much per capita on health care as any other country.
“That's why I support Medicare for All. She doesn't. She has a different approach to universal health care,” he added.
Harris unveiled new economic proposals this week, including raising capital gains taxes to 28% on people making more than $1 million a year — a departure from President Biden's proposal to raise capital gains taxes on high-income earners by nearly 40%.
“I'm going to aim higher than that,” Sanders said of Harris' proposal, praising her for working toward the goal of reducing economic inequality.
