Progressives warn Harris must change her closing message as the election looms


Progressives warn Harris must change her closing message as the election looms

BY STEVE PEOPLES Updated 9:01 AM GMT+5, October 25, 2024 NEW YORK (AP) — Progressive Democrats warn Kamala Harris risks losing the support of a small but significant portion of her political base unless she changes her campaign’s closing message — and its messengers — immediately. Specifically, several progressive leaders believe that the Democratic nominee has been too focused on winning over moderate Republicans in recent days at the expense of her own party’s passionate liberals. And they say that Harris’ closing message, which is increasingly centered on Republican Donald Trump and the threat he poses to U.S. democracy, ignores the economic struggles of the nation’s working class. Some far-left leaders are also irked that Harris has shared the stage in recent days with former House Republican leader Liz Cheney and billionaire businessman Mark Cuban while progressive icons like Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders and New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez have been relegated to low-profile roles. “The truth of the matter is that there are a hell of a lot more working-class people who could vote for Kamala Harris than there are conservative Republicans,” Sanders told The Associated Press in an interview Thursday. Sanders noted that he’s been doing whatever he’s asked to help Harris win. He has participated in two dozen Harris campaign related-events this month alone, although they’re largely in rural areas. None have been with Harris. “She has to start talking more to the needs of working-class people,” Sanders said. “I wish this had taken place two months ago. It is what it is.”