Bernie Sanders’ tough love for the Harris campaign

Last night at the Democratic National Convention, Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders urged Americans to support Vice President Kamala Harris’ campaign for the presidency.

Simple enough? Well, maybe not.

Any astute observer knows that Sanders has a notoriously testy relationship with the Democratic establishment. And he’s been sparing in his words of praise for Harris’ campaign so far.

Meanwhile, the constituencies where Sanders has polled strongly for years — young people, minorities, and progressives — were among the weak points in President Joe Biden’s coalition that led many Democrats to scream for his replacement.

Now, with just 75 days until the election, those same Democrats are betting that Kamala Harris and Tim Walz can shore up these key factions. And they’re asking Bernie for help.

With that in mind, Playbook co-author and Deep Dive host Ryan Lizza spoke to Sanders at the CNN-Politico Grill to get a more honest reflection on the Harris campaign than what you’ll hear in a DNC stump speech.

In their conversation, they talked about whether he thinks Joe Biden should have stepped aside in the first place; how Democrats can win back young people, minorities, and progressives; as well as where he agrees with Harris’s policies, and where he thinks she needs to come a little in his direction to win.