Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) is said to have preferred now-Democratic vice presidential nominee Kamala Harris as Joe Biden’s running mate from a list that initially included about a dozen potential candidates.
Bloomberg News reported Monday evening that a source familiar with the progressive lawmaker’s thinking believed that although Harris was not the most progressive of the pool, she was the party’s best shot at going up against President Donald Trump.
The revelation comes as Sanders delivered remarks kicking off the first night of the Democratic National Convention anchored on a message of setting aside policy disagreements to unite in defeating Trump in the 2020 election.
Per Bloomberg News, Biden’s team had also worked with Sanders’ to form policy task forces to craft the convention platform, though it notably omits Medicare For All, which was a key agenda item for Sanders.
In remarks that seemed to directly call on his progressive base Monday night Sanders implored his followers to relinquish grudges and embrace Biden’s presidential bid.
“My friends, the price of failure is just too great to imagine,” he said.
