On CNN’s “Outfront” broadcast on Tuesday, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) said that Minnesota Governor Tim Walz (D) is the man he would like 2024 Democratic presidential candidate and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris to choose, saying that Governor Walz has “passed some very good legislation.”
the CNN host asked.[Y]”You were actually hoping that VP Harris would choose Governor Walz as her running mate. What did you think of their debut in Philadelphia tonight?”
Sanders responded, “That’s a very good story. And the reason I picked Governor Walz is because, you know, he’s from a rural state. He’s a champion for the working class and he’s passed some very good legislation. With the income and wealth inequality we see today, with 60 percent of Americans struggling to make ends meet before payday and the super-rich getting richer, I think the American people want someone who will stand up for them and take on powerful special interests, and I think Governor Walz is the person to do that.”
He added, “The other thing that impresses me about the governor, as others have said, is he was a public high school teacher, a football coach and the ranking member of the Veterans’ Affairs Committee in the United States House of Representatives. We certainly want someone at the highest level of government who will fight for our nation’s veterans.”
Sanders continued, “And I think what’s really important is that as governor of Minnesota, and why he’s so popular, he’s been on the side of workers. He’s worked to raise the minimum wage for gig workers. He’s worked to make sure that kids in Minnesota don’t go hungry. Now, some people might think that’s a radical idea, but I don’t think so. And I think one of the misconceptions is,[s] “The mindset that exists in the corporate media and political establishment is that it’s not radical to stand up for working people, to expand Medicare to cover dental, hearing and vision, to expand Social Security so the wealthy can start paying their fair share of taxes into the system and increase their benefits. Over 70% of Americans want such programs, including a majority of Republicans. So as long as the vice president and the governor can focus on economic issues that benefit working people and demand that the billionaire class start paying their fair share of taxes, I think they have a chance not only to win, but to win pretty big.”
Sanders also responded to Republican criticism of Walz as being radical left, saying, “If Governor Walz believes that prescription drug prices in this country should be half what they are in the world, over 70 percent of Americans believe that. You want to attack him as a radical? I’ll support advertising. If Governor Walz believes that prescription drug prices should be cut in half, I’ll vote for Trump. I don’t. The American people, overwhelmingly, like the governor, believe that the minimum wage should be raised to a living wage. If Republicans want to attack Walz and Kamala Harris for wanting to raise the minimum wage, I’ll support advertising. So this whole narrative that standing up for working class families is somehow a negative, I think it’s just ridiculous.”
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