Bernie Sanders Thinks Trump Fever Has Broken
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Hello, how are you?

Earlier this week, I traveled up to Burlington, Vermont, to a creaky old New England office building to meet with Senator Bernie Sanders for an interview at his campaign headquarters. I wanted to talk with Sanders for a number of reasons, but especially after the whiplash of last month. He was a staunch defender of President Biden staying in the race.

saying it was the best way to defeat Donald Trump, even as prominent Democrats urge Biden to drop out. And since Biden has bowed out and Vice President Kamala Harris has stepped in, Sanders has had questions about what Harris's economic message will be and where she will position herself, particularly through her choice of running mate. But more recently, he's been on the trail for her. And that journey, to me,

is indicative of a larger question facing the progressive wing of the Democratic Party. With this new Democratic ticket, are they all in for Harris? From the New York Times, I'm Ested Herndon. This is The Run-Up.

Thank you for doing this. This is going to run on our Thursday episode of the Run Up to Times Politics podcast. We've been following a lot of this election over the past year or so, but you've been one of the people we wanted to talk to. So thank you so much for doing it. My communications person tells me that people actually listen to your podcast. Is this true? It is. It is. Thank goodness. We sat down with Sanders on Tuesday afternoon. I'm trying.

Just hours after Harris announced that Minnesota Governor Tim Walz would be her choice for vice president, Sanders had publicly supported Walz over the top alternatives, like Arizona Senator Mark Kelly and Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro.

You know, I wanted to start with the Walls pick. You know, just hours ago, Vice President Harris chose Minnesota Governor Tim Walz as her vice presidential nominee, and it comes after people on the left, including yourself, advocated for him. I was wondering just what was your reaction to this election? I'm glad. I think it was an excellent pick. I think it's going to be a real asset to her campaign. And after she wins, I think it will be an important member of her administration.

What I like about him, and I don't know him very well, I've known him over the years, he's a very down-to-earth guy. I believe he knows how to talk to working-class people. And in fact, he has delivered in Minnesota as governor for working-class people in a number of areas. He's strongly pro-union, which is what we need. He is a veteran and was a member of the Veterans Committee in the House, and we need a strong veterans advocate.

in the administration. So I think, all in all, it was a very good pick, and I'm glad that the vice president made it. Do you see this selection as kind of an overture to a progressive left? I mean, this race has been resetting over the last month. As someone who is so associated with that wing of the party, do you read it as Harris making a play for the folks that may have been part of the Bernie coalition? In all due respect, I look at politics a little bit different than some of my friends in the

and in some of my colleagues in Congress. The way I see it is we live in a bubble in Washington dominated by big money, both economically and politically. And I think for too many years, both political parties have ignored the needs of the working class of this country. And it's just astounding to me. And by the way, again, I think Tim Walz is not one of those people. And that's why he was very successful in

In his congressional district, Trump did well in his district, and he won. But bottom line is I think not only is the right thing to do to speak to the needs of working class people, it is good politics. And we just did a poll you may be familiar with, which suggests that all of these so-called far left ideas that I and others have been advocating for years are enormously popular with Democrats, Republicans, and independents.

This poll is part of the reason Sanders was eager to talk, because the results seem to support his view of politics, one that's almost entirely rooted in progressive economic policy, that he thinks is critical to regaining the trust of working-class voters. And we asked the American people what they thought about the major issues, and it turns out that overwhelmingly 77% want to expand Medicare to cover dental, vision, and hearing issues.

75% want to cut the cost of prescription drugs in half. 72% want to expand Social Security benefits by making the wealthy stop paying their fair share of taxes.

The idea of demanding the rich large corporations pay their fair share of taxes is very, very popular. Actually, I was surprised that establishing a Medicare for all single payer health care system received 62% of the vote. You know, we, I want to talk specifically about what you think the economic message should be for this campaign. I guess there was a sense coming into 2024 that

the Bernie Sanders coalition progressives maybe had lost some momentum. I'm wondering if you see the wall's pick or even the last month or so as something that's re-energized that wing of the party. The answer is we will see. I can't tell you. I mean, there's a lot of reasons why the vice president selected the governor, but I would hope that one of them is an understanding that he has a strong pro-union, pro-worker record of achievement, not just rhetoric. He's done it

in Minnesota and that for too long rural America has been ignored. It's unbelievable. I mean, you know, in rural communities all this country overwhelming support for Donald Trump. Why is that? It's because Democrats have abdicated and kind of walked away from those people and I think with

Governor Walz, maybe we're going to get back into that game and begin to speak up for those folks. The last question I want to ask on the VP selection is, you know, some Republicans have tried to frame Harris's choice as the governor as an insult to Jewish Americans, especially considering he was chosen over Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro. Really? I wanted you to respond to that directly. And give me, you know, since your choice to publicly weigh in on behalf of Governor Walz, was there something about Governor Shapiro's record that you found invalidated? No.

Look, I don't want to get into – I don't know that I've ever talked to Governor Shapiro in my life. He seems like a smart guy. I know Mark Kelly. Obviously, we're co-senators. Very smart guy. Good on military issues. Much more conservative than I am. So I don't want to be commenting on other people. All I would say is I think that the vice president made the right pick in terms of somebody who will be a very effective campaigner for her and I think an effective vice president for her.

I saw the statement that Donald Trump put out about the pick, and it mentioned your endorsement of him saying that trying to draw hairs further and to the left. Is there any risk that, you know, in appeasing some of the progressives, the Democrats, you know, and the kind of classic choice of who this election should be for? This is all in all due respect, my friend. I don't think it. I like when you respond to it. So you can just respond to it directly. This is all media nonsense. This is the absurd world that we live in.

The overwhelming majority of the American people support the progressive agenda. Okay? So Trump and his friends or the media can say whatever they want to say. But when you speak to the needs of working class people and you come up with sensible solutions, it is terrible.

Good policy and good politics. Well, let me ask a different one. You know, one of the reasons you initially did not endorse Vice President Harris, and you mentioned that you were looking for her to embrace some of this economic agenda that you've laid out. Do you feel as if the campaign, as it's been taking shape, has vocalized support for those issues or centering those issues? I have been knocking my brains out in the last month to make sure that Kamala Harris wins this election. You know, I've been to New Hampshire, Maine. We've been to Minnesota.

You know, we're working really hard to try to see that she wins the election. But I think what I want to do is just to make it clear, not only to her, to the Democratic Party, the candidates for the Senate, candidates for the House, that you are out of your minds if you do not talk about the fact that 60% of our people are living paycheck to paycheck, that we have unprecedented income and wealth inequality, that the billionaire class is getting richer while working people are struggling. If you don't talk about those issues,

I mean, it's not only not doing your job as an elected official or as a candidate, but it is really bad politics. You got to talk about those issues. That's how you win elections. Was the Biden campaign talking about those issues? Yeah, they were. Okay. Yeah, they were. And they began to talk about, look, I happen to think that,

that Joe Biden will go down in history as one of our excellent presidents. He has a picture of Franklin Donald Roosevelt on his wall in the Oval Office. I know that when he came in, he said he wanted to be the most progressive president since FDR, and I think he has been, and he did that with Kamala Harris at his side. So we have begun to go forward taking on the pharmaceutical industry, taking on the fossil fuel industry.

rebuilding our infrastructure, rebuilding our manufacturing base, et cetera. He's done a good job. Has he communicated what he has done as well as he should have? I think probably not. But I think the record stands that he has done a very, very good job. Mm-hmm.

I promise I'm going to ask more about those economic questions in a second. But I do want to speak about President Biden because you are one of the vocal advocates, you know, of him trying to stay in the race over the last month. I was wondering what you thought about how this has all played out. Can you give me some insight to what the conversations were among Democrats? Did you speak with President Biden about his decision to step down? And how much angst did you have about what could come next? Well, I will say...

This is a New York Times podcast, is it not? It is. So we can say to New York Times readers, and I was really quite amazed that every other day the New York Times was telling us what wealthy donors wanted. And I think the New York Times helped, I think, the American people understand who controls politics in America. Wealthy donors said today that they're concerned about Joe Biden. Wealthy donors said today that this day after day what wealthy donors want. And in fairness, that's in fact who controls the political process.

My conversations with the president are obviously private. But what I will tell you is, you know, I thought that in his last few public appearances, he gave a speech in Detroit, you may recall. That was an excellent speech. He was beginning to catch his pace and start talking about issues that were resonating with working people. So I think, you know, and the advantage he had, but I think the vice president also benefits, is they have a good record.

So I think the goal of that campaign is look at what we've accomplished, look at what we want to do, and take a hard look at what right-wing Republican extremism is all about. You combine those things in a campaign, I think you win.

You know, I remember the day he dropped out, we actually did an episode of our podcast talking to some of those donors who were pretty open that they had frankly decided that they wouldn't give anymore. Oh, my goodness. And you think that's what American democracy is about? It's not that I think it's what it's about. It feels like a reflection of what it— No, it's— A reflection of some of the process. Hold on, let me back it up. Reflection of some of the process. What is the process? The big money owns the political system?

That it informs some of the decisions that our elected officials electorally make. I would be a little bit more crass about it. Look, let's be frank, all right? You know, you've got a corrupt political system. When you grew up and you went to school, they probably told you that what democracy is about is one person, one vote. And your teacher probably didn't tell you. I said, what's really about...

Is billionaires able to contribute hundreds of millions of dollars into the political process and determine who candidates are and who they're going to defeat and who they're going to support? That's what's going on right now. The system is corrupt. And by the way, I would hope—

that at the very top of what Democrats, and not just the vice president, but Democrats in general talk about, is the absolute need to overturn and get rid of this Citizens United Supreme Court decision pushed by Mitch McConnell and the Republicans, which allows billionaires to control the political process. I did want you to speak to the age question specifically. Oh, you see, you keep running away.

where you sound like a New York Times reporter here. You are 82 and you're running for re-election this year. What did you think about the conversation surrounding kind of age and passing the torch to the next generation? Ah, the next generation. Look, what I think is when you look at a candidate, you look at a number of factors, right? Is the candidate articulate? Is he or she hardworking?

Etc. Etc. Age is a factor. Experience is a factor. Achievement is a factor. What have you accomplished in your political life or in your life in general? You know, personal character issues are important. But you know what? At the end of the day, I know it sounds like a radical idea, but at the end of the day, you know what's most important? It's what the hell the candidate actually stands for. So was Joe Biden the most articulate president in American history? I don't think so. Did he have a terrible debate? Absolutely.

But I think his record and what he has stood for in fighting for working families is the dominant factor. So I think when you ask me the question, is age a factor? Sure, it is a factor.

But bottom line is, what does the candidate stand for? Is he on the side of the billionaire class? Is he on the side of working families? Given the explosion of energy that's happened since he stepped down, though, is there something that was underrated about just having a fresh face or a different person? We've seen Democrats, frankly, become newly energized over the last several weeks. Do you look back at your decision to advocate for Biden to stay in the race and think, maybe I underrated some of that? No.

Let me rephrase your question, if I might. Do I think Biden could have won the election? I do. I absolutely do. And I think if he had ran the kind of campaign that I think he should have, I think he would have won. And I think he would have.

I think in Kamala Harris, you have somebody who has, as you indicated, generated a lot of enthusiasm. I think the polls are getting better. I think she has an excellent chance to win. And by the way, you can quote me on this, I think she could surprise people by winning with a very good margin. I think people are getting a little bit tired of Trumpism and what he stands for. So, no, I'm not surprised. There is energy, and that's great.

Do I think Biden could have won? Absolutely. When I covered Kamala Harris's 2020 presidential campaign, she had a kind of reticence to identify with labels like progressive and things like that. I was wondering for you, do those labels matter or is, or, or. Look, I'm sorry. You're the face of the media. So the media says, what does progressive mean? What does progressive mean? What does progressive mean? I come from the working class. All right. I lived in a rent controlled apartment for most, for my entire childhood. Okay. And,

And I look out at this country and I see tens of millions of people working hard and very much worried about the future, not only for themselves, for their parents, but for their kids as well. So you ask me, what is progressive? Progressive is standing with the working class of this country who are not represented in Washington, not represented in the media.

and fighting for programs and ideas which will improve their lives. You know, and every politician is different. Kamala's not me, I'm not her, and Tim Walz is different. Everyone has their thing. But do I think that the vice president's heart is with working people, that she understands the needs of working people? I think that she does. More with Senator Bernie Sanders after the break.

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How did you get it so green? I kept the cucumber skins on and pureed the entire thing. It's really easy to put together and it's something that you can do in advance. Oh, it is so refreshing. What'd you bring, Melissa?

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We've tried to focus a lot of our reporting on not just electeds, but voters and people outside of the process, a lot of ones you're mentioning. And we often heard concerns about the Biden administration around two areas, economic concerns and concerns about foreign policy, what's happening over in Gaza. I wanted to ask you about those two specifically. You mentioned the

of the economy. We could have a couple questions about that. Of course, the administration has a story it can tell about this, you know, record job growth, things like that. But voter perception about economic performance remains stubbornly low. Is it a messaging issue, in your opinion? Are they telling not the right story about the economy? Or is it the substance that things like job growth have not touched most Americans and things like income inequality matter more? I think it's a lot of things. You know, I think,

There's a lot of stress in America today. I think people are worried about the future for a variety of reasons. They're worried about the vitriol they see in the political process. They're worried about the future of democracy. They're worried about climate. They're worried about their kids. So I think you're right. I think the Biden administration has a story to tell, and it's a truthful story, of done a whole lot for working people. But I think it is very clear that

that people are struggling today. Here's the fact that, you know, we don't talk about too much. Media doesn't. Politicians don't. But over the last 50 years, despite radical changes in our technology and huge increases in worker productivity, average American worker today in real inflation account of adults makes less. Don't you, you know, so people are saying the rich getting richer and

And they are working 50, 60 hours a week, going nowhere in a hurry. Actually, life expectancy, as you know, in certain parts of this country is actually going down because of diseases of despair. There's a sense of hopelessness out there. So a thousand different factors out there, which I think create this kind of sourness in the political mood.

But, you know, I think it's real and I think we've got to revitalize hope in this country. And you do that by making it clear which side you are on in the great struggle with workers or with the billionaire class. One of the things that came through in New All's polling was a sense that people did not have a sense of what Democrat solutions were to that problem. What's come through in things like even New York Times polling is that, you know, people will say they trust Donald Trump or Republicans over Democrats, specifically the economic solutions. Why do you think that is?

I think this is the Democrats have been very weak in standing up for working class people and fighting on specific pieces of legislation. I'm chairman of the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, an important committee. And what I will tell you is our health care system is broken. It is dysfunctional. We are the only major country on earth, as you probably know, that doesn't guarantee health care to all people. You tell me, you're a keen observer. How much do Democrats talk about that?

Not often. Not often. So if I'm out there and I can't afford to pay my health care bills, or I just—I mean, just—I don't want to get into the whole thing, but, you know, I got a $200,000 bill from the hospital, you know, after I had surgery, and no one's talking about it, do I think the Democrats are fighting for me? I think not. So I would say—

As I've said many times, not a new story here, I think the growth of Trumpism has much less to do with what Trump stands for. You know, tax breaks for billionaires, denying climate change, sexism, racism, homophobia. That's not so much why people are supporting him. They have looked at the Democratic Party and they said, hey, we used to trust you. You used to be the party of the working class. You're not anymore. And I think the struggle right now is to once again get

get that Democratic Party to make it clear which side they are on. I mean, you've been saying this consistently. I remember 27 and 18, you saying we live in a very rapid changing world, which there are many people, mostly older white males, who feel like they've been left behind. You've been hammering this kind of economic grievance message. Have you seen any change? Oh, economic grievance. I wouldn't phrase it that way. I would say economic reality. Economic reality. That's fine. I would say, have you seen any change in

in the way the party talks about it over the time? Because as you mentioned, Trumpism has now been around at least since 2016. Have there been shifts in the party? Yeah, the change is Joe Biden. Okay. All right. The pity of it is that the Biden people have not been great communicators

for the very important things that they have done. What's that disconnect? Well, what I will tell you, look, Joe Biden is the first president in American history to stand on a picket line in a major strike and say, I am with the workers and not with General Motors.

That is a big deal. He has appointed people in the National Labor Relations Board who are 100% pro-worker. So you're asking me, how did the Democratic Party change? Well, the Biden administration has. How much that has filtered down to Democrats in the House and the Senate is maybe another story. Interesting. If this week is any clue, Republicans are quickly trying to form their own anti-Harris economic message, trying to tie the IRA to inflation, blaming her for kind of poor market stuff we've seen over the past week.

How do Democrats talk about the reality of inflation in people's lives while also touting economic successes? It seems tricky to say things aren't so bad. And at the same time, you're asking people to give you four more years. Well, that's a very good question. And I would take you back to a remarkable campaign that

In 1936. You weren't around. I wasn't around. But we've read a little bit about it. And that was FDR running for re-election. So Roosevelt gets elected in 1932 in the midst of the worst depression in American history. And he does a lot in his first four years. And then he goes before the American people and he says, you know what? I'm proud of what we've accomplished, but I see a nation ill-clad, ill-fed, et cetera, et cetera. He acknowledged the reality. So I think...

The reasons why 60% of our people are living paycheck to paycheck, why we have 600,000 people sleeping out on the street, why we have massive income and wealth inequality, it's complex, okay? But I think it's incumbent upon Democrats to say, look—

We're proud of what we've accomplished under Biden, but we understand we have a long way to go. We are embarrassed that we are the only major country not to guarantee health care to all people. We are embarrassed that half of elderly people trying to get by on $30,000 less. So you talk about what the Republicans are doing, you take it right back to them. How many Republicans are prepared to vote to raise the minimum wage to a living wage? How many Republicans want to expand Medicare? How many Republicans want to put money into affordable housing? Virtually none. All right? I would embrace...

the Republican challenge and throw it right back in their faces, where they stand with the wealthiest people in this country and are not going to do anything for working families. A big shift in last election presidential to this one. Last one was very domestic-focused. We think about coronavirus, things that were happening, George Floyd at the time. And obviously this one, even up until this point, a lot of voters are more concerned about things that are happening abroad. We've talked to people who are skeptical in backing Biden leading up to this point,

whose chief concern was the ongoing war in Gaza. How much are you concerned that that could have a negative electoral effect in November that's completely outside of the domestic story that Biden could tell? Yes, I think that's a fair question. And I think I am worried. Look, I am a strong supporter of what President Biden has done domestically. Again, I think he will go down in history as one of the more progressive presidents in this country's history.

But for whatever reason, and honestly I don't know the reason, the administration's position on Israel and Gaza has been dead wrong. I believe what I think the vast majority of the American people believe, that Israel had a right to defend itself against the disgusting and horrific Hamas terrorist attack of October 7th. They had a right to defend themselves. But they did not have a right to go to war against the entire Palestinian people and create one of the worst humanitarian disasters

in modern world history. And what's going on in Gaza right now, it's not only 39,000 dead, it's only 80,000 wounded. It's the destruction of housing, destruction of the infrastructure. There's no electricity there, virtually none. The destruction of the healthcare system. Every university, 12 universities in Gaza, every single one of them are bombed. And now,

Because of Israeli restrictions on humanitarian aid, we're looking at mass starvation. That is horrible. Netanyahu is, in fact, a war criminal. The International Criminal Court suggested both that he and Sinwa from Hamas, who orchestrated the attack, both of them are war criminals, and I agree with that. The United States should not be giving Netanyahu another nickel.

So why the Biden ministry, and not just the Biden ministry, so many Democrats are not prepared to say none other than nickel for Netanyahu.

I just don't know the answer to that. But there is some fear about its electoral effect. Because, you know, actually, we posed this question in the Biden campaign months ago. This is before the switch. And they told us, you know, people's concerns are usually domestic and not foreign. There was a sense that, like, maybe this just wouldn't rise to the top of people's concerns. But it seems as if there's some risk that this is a time when that's different. I think you're right. I mean, I think it is fair to say that most people are worried about, you know, what kind of income they're going to obtain and health care and all that.

But I think there's a moral issue here and especially, you know, the polling is also pretty clear. It's, you know, among Democrats, especially in younger Democrats, the younger people of color, they feel very strongly about this. It's a moral issue. So I would hope, you know, that, you know, we will see changes in policy with regard to Netanyahu soon. Yeah.

You mentioned Gaza as a potential sticking point with the progressive base. And you mentioned the kind of question about whether Harris was going to be amenable to maybe things Biden wasn't. I've seen people speculating specifically on foreign policy, whether she would mark a break from what we've seen the Biden administration's relationship with Netanyahu has been. Is there any indication that you have that she would operate differently?

I would be speculating, so I don't have any. I mean, I think what she has done is, as you know, expressed concern about the humanitarian disaster. And I know that she is strongly in favor of getting humanitarian aid to the children and the people of Gaza as quickly and as effectively as possible. That's a fact. Whether there will be a break in President Biden's attitude toward Israel, I'm

That remains to be seen. When you look at the Democratic Party broadly, where do you see the legacy of your advocacy and your presidential runs? Are there politicians you point to, policy successes? What's the impact? I'm not much into legacy. I'm worrying about what people will say about me. What I am proud of is that right now in the U.S. House of Representatives,

There are dozens and dozens of strong progressives. I was in the House. I was elected to the Senate in 2006. I spent 16 years in the House, and I helped form the Progressive Caucus way back in 91, I think. There's no question that today's Progressive Caucus is much stronger, more effective than anything I would have dreamed of.

And if to the degree that we have managed to elect a lot of young people, strong progressives, often women, people of color, that is a, I'm very proud of that achievement. One of the things I remember from the 2020 DNC was you and John Kasich speaking, I think back to back,

in support of President Biden. And it really showed the vast coalition that was coming together to really stop Trump. I remember the unity commissions that President Biden's campaign put out to bring in some people who had supported you specifically on the policy front. Is there outreach you're looking for from the Harris campaign over the next three months? And what are the markers that we should look forward to see if they're crossing that threshold that you're saying of really putting some of these economic messages first? Yeah.

Well, I think we will see, and I am encouraged by this, her attitude toward trade unionism. One of the bright spots in American politics over the last couple of years has been the growth of organizing efforts and the willingness of large corporations like Sean Fain's UAW to stand up to corporate greed and negotiate really good contracts. We've seen that. Teamsters as well. We've seen young people organizing in Starbucks.

So to the degree that she is prepared to stand with workers who are organizing and workers who are fighting for decent contracts, I think that will be a telling sign. Are you speaking in Chicago? Top secret.

The last question I have is, you know, I watched the last night's Progressives for Harris Zoom call, and there was still a fair amount of skepticism for the nominee. Maybe that's changed now that she's selected Governor Walz. But, you know, I was thinking about the people associated with your candidacy, young people, progressives. Do we think that the candidate switch has locked in that energy for November? Or are we still kind of in an open question of whether that lasts through the next year? Well, you raised, I think, the right question. I think Gaza is a tricky issue.

It is a humanitarian disaster. Many people feel very, very strongly about that. On the other hand, I think that what we are seeing, A, in the polling, objectively speaking, but also in the kind of energy at the grassroots level, good signs, I think, for the vice president. So as I said earlier, I think that if she runs a good campaign, and I have no reason to doubt that she will, I think the selection of walls...

important stuff forward. I think she can win and I will not be surprised. I really would not be shocked if people really grow tired of Trump and his lies and his racism and his denial, his attacks on democracy. It is conceivable she could win a really good vote, win by a lot and take with her a Democratic Senate and Democratic House. But as I say to all my supporters, I

Our efforts do not end on election day. We got to do everything we can to elect Harris and the day after we got to keep moving to build the kind of movement that puts pressure on the Democratic Party to stand up to the corporate interests that represent working families. There's been so many false moments of Trump's break or Trumpism's break. You know, there's has been predicted and we haven't seen it. Why do you think this one might be more real than other ones? And you think maybe folks are growing tired of it?

I watch him, you know, I occasionally listen to his speeches, and I think he himself, you know, and maybe for a variety of reasons, is losing focus. And, you know, even people who like his politics don't.

you know, really wondering what it means to the future of this country. How do you explain to your kid that the leader of the country is a pathological liar who wants to take away women's rights to control their own body? So I think you're going to see on, you know,

A number of kind of conservative people say that this guy doesn't have the sense of morality that really should exist in the leader of the country. And I think that's even more so true now than it was. I do. I mean, I think when you are convicted of 34 felonies, they can spin it however they want. You know, it's kind of hard to go forward in that reality. Thank you so much, and we really appreciate your time. Thank you very much.

Sanders challenges Democrats, including Kamala Harris and Tim Walz, to make this election a referendum on who speaks best to economic concerns. Because he believes that Democrats, at least in this administration, have a good record to run on, and that Trump is a less effective messenger than he once was.

So even if Harris moves to the center from where she was in 2020, and Wall says that, as governor, he wasn't a radical, no matter what Republicans said. Sanders says this VP choice is a good sign that the party is headed where it needs to go, and all progressives should come along. For now, the Harris-Walls ticket has united the party and all that represents.

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That's the run-up for Thursday, August 8th, 2024. And now, the rundown. So we got 91 days. My God, that's easy. We'll sleep when we're dead. For the past several days, Kamala Harris and Tim Walz have been campaigning in several swing states, including Pennsylvania and Michigan.

And J.D. Vance, Donald Trump's running mate, has been on a similar tour. I think that what Tim Walz's selection says is that Kamala Harris has bent the knee to the far left of her party, which is what she always does. Trying out his own lines of attack against the Democrats.

He even tried to confront Harris in person at a Wisconsin airport. I just wanted to check out my future plane, but I also wanted to go say hello to the vice president and ask her why Kamala Harris refuses, why does she refuse to answer questions from the media? Meanwhile, in Missouri. I am absolutely honored and humbled to be the Democratic nominee for Congress for this first district. For you. Thank you.

Democrat Wesley Bell defeated progressive Congresswoman Cori Bush in a contentious primary battle. Bush had been one of the most outspoken critics of Israel's war in Gaza. And Bell was bolstered by millions in spending from pro-Israel groups. In her concession speech, Bush sent those groups a message. There are 11 days till the Democratic National Convention.

in 89 days until the general election. See you next week. The Run-Up is reported by me, Ested Herndon, and produced by Elisa Gutierrez, Caitlin O'Keefe, and Anna Foley. It's edited by Rachel Dry and Lisa Tobin, with original music by Dan Powell, Marion Lozano, Pat McCusker, Diane Wong, Sophia Landman, and Alicia Baitube. It was mixed by Sophia Landman and fact-checked by Caitlin Love.

Special thanks to Paula Schumann, Sam Dolnik, Larissa Anderson, David Halfinger, Maddie Maciello, Mahima Chablani, Nick Pittman, and Jeffrey Miranda. Do you have questions about the 2024 election? Email us at therunupatnytimes.com. Or better yet, record your question using the Voice Memo app on your phone, and then send us the file. That email again is therunupatnytimes.com.

And finally, if you like the show and want to get updates on latest episodes, follow our feed wherever you get your podcasts. Thanks for listening, y'all.

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