Winning over ideology: Why progressives are lining up behind Harris so quickly

Progressives person swung down Kamala Harris successful amazingly speedy manner successful nan 48 hours since Joe Biden near nan statesmanlike race, mostly mounting speech their past skepticism of nan vice president pinch an oculus to defeating Donald Trump successful November.

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) is still notably withholding his endorsement until Harris reveals a working-class agenda. But alternatively of an array of litmus tests and demands for Harris and her 2024 platform, liberals are mostly clearing a way for Harris overmuch arsenic immoderate tried to for Biden — hopeless to task statement unity, retired of aggravated fears that Trump could triumph different term.

Even Sanders said Monday: “I want her to win.”

Within 30 hours of Biden’s determination to measurement aside, 90 percent of nan House Democratic caucus had publically backed Harris. That included unequivocal support from starring progressives for illustration Reps. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.) and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) — though they cautioned it wasn’t nan aforesaid point arsenic endorsing each of Harris’ positions and priorities.

“I would not construe this arsenic a rubber stamp pinch immoderate argumentation aliases platform,” Ocasio-Cortez said.

Rather, Democrats for illustration Ocasio-Cortez spot nary prime but to backmost Harris if they want to hit Trump, fixed nan now-rushed process to steer a caller nominee starring up to nan Democratic normal successful August. The New York lawmaker had antecedently delivered impassioned defenses of Biden some publically and privately, moreover arsenic different Democrats successful nan caucus called for him to measurement aside.

“Really, this is astir having arsenic overmuch stableness arsenic imaginable starring into nan November predetermination truthful that we tin conclusion nan threat of Donald Trump,” Ocasio-Cortez said. While liberals would still property Harris connected her level done nan election, she added location is simply a “very existent understanding” that nan normal is conscionable a period away, pinch early voting successful nan wide predetermination opening successful little than 2 months.

Democrats person lined up a wide swath of nan statement down Harris' nascent campaign. But nan near helping falling successful statement is particularly notable, arsenic it could person been nan astir disruptive to nan party's efforts to coalesce astir Harris.

There is still a push to style nan vice president's platform. Sanders is choosing not to endorse yet arsenic he seeks much meetings pinch Harris to push for a working-class schedule and to “speak to nan needs of group who person been forgotten for truthful galore years,” arsenic he told CBS News Monday.

Rep. Delia Ramirez (D-Ill.) said nan party’s speedy alignment pinch Harris doesn’t mean progressives won’t beryllium exerting unit connected her early management if she is elected. But for now, Ramirez stressed, nan extremity “is to beryllium capable to win.”

She added that nan stakes are simply excessively precocious — pinch personification who would “overthrow democracy, do wide deportations and enact a achromatic supremacist agenda” — to guidelines successful nan way.

“We person to do everything we perchance tin to get arsenic galore of america arsenic quickly arsenic imaginable together nether 1 priority, and that’s defeating Donald Trump,” Ramirez argued.

Of course, location are immoderate exceptions. Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.), a personnel of nan progressive “Squad,” has heavy divisions pinch nan White House complete its handling of nan Israel-Hamas warfare and hasn’t endorsed Harris. (She besides had not endorsed Biden.)

Four years ago, galore progressives did not initially backmost Biden aliases Harris, pinch their ain candidates for illustration Sanders and Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) successful nan running. They were skeptical of Biden’s centrist tilt and Harris’ profession arsenic a charismatic astatine a clip erstwhile nan guidelines was moving to put much oversight connected rule enforcement. And moreover early successful Biden's administration, progressives for illustration Jayapal fought pinch him complete his legislative plans — peculiarly connected a bipartisan infrastructure bill.

Now, progressives person travel to position pinch their only existent option. Uniting down Harris, who has nan sanction nickname and Biden’s warfare chest, gives them nan champion chance to hit Trump successful November. They’ll interest astir circumstantial argumentation issues erstwhile they win, galore of them say.

When and if that happens, nan vice president has different existing relationships pinch Hill Democrats to tie on, including her erstwhile colleagues successful nan Black Caucus, Asian Pacific American Caucus, and what immoderate South Asian American lawmakers had joked was nan “samosa caucus.” Many Democrats person already shifted to privately and publically discussing imaginable moving mates for Harris.

“Why wouldn’t we?” said progressive Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.). “She supports nan Green New Deal, Medicare for All. She cared astir nan attraction economy. She's been great.”