Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont) on Friday praised Vice President Harris’ newly announced economic plan, calling its proposals “powerful” and “progressive.”
“Given the fact that she’s only been a candidate for three weeks, I think she’s done really well on all fronts,” Sanders said. said “I think what she put forward today was a strong progressive platform,” said MSNBC’s Chris Hayes.
“Obviously, I think in the coming weeks and months, she’ll be adding more specifics and adding more substance to some of these proposals,” he added.
Harris, who emerged as the leading Democratic candidate after Biden dropped out of the race last month, unveiled her economic plan on Friday during a campaign rally in Raleigh, North Carolina. The proposals, which analysts say could cost up to $1.7 trillion, range from tax cuts to boosting home construction and a federal ban on price gouging.
Harris’ campaign said the plan, announced as critics criticized the vice president for lacking a policy platform, was just a small part of her economic agenda and would be a priority for her first 100 days in office if elected.
The Vermont senator, who ran against Harris and Biden in the 2020 election, said the policy positions laid out in the Democratic candidate’s plan are “the right thing to do.”
“I’ve always believed that good policy is good politics, and what she’s talking about today is curbing the outrageously high prices of very popular prescription drugs. It’s the right thing to do,” he said on MSNBC’s “All In with Chris Hayes.” Response comments “She’s talking about building 3 million affordable housing units at a time when there’s a housing crisis in Burlington, Vermont, Los Angeles, California and everywhere in between,” he said on social media platform X on Friday.
“We have to get the cost of housing down in America,” he added, listing other proposals he supports, including eliminating medical debt and controlling food prices.
Sanders has refrained from formally endorsing Harris because, like Biden, he wants to help shape the focus of her campaign. The Vermont independent had urged the president to stay on after many Democrats called on her to drop out.
He also advised Harris earlier this month to be “very proud” of the Biden administration’s accomplishments.
In an interview after Biden’s withdrawal, Senator Harris said her path to victory over former President Trump would only come from appealing to the needs of the “forgotten” working class.
“We need a presidential candidate who’s prepared to fight for working people, not just take on big money and big trusts,” Sanders said at the time. “If she does that, I think we’ll have a great campaign.”
Harris and Minnesota Governor Tim Walz (D), whom Sanders endorsed through his vice presidential run, were certified as the Democratic nominees for the White House earlier this month. They are due to be formally endorsed at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago next week.
With less than three months to go until the election, the vice president is gaining momentum in the polls, especially in battleground states, with a growing roster of supporters and record fundraising.
