Sanders: Harris needs to address needs of ‘forgotten’ people

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) suggested Monday that Vice President Harris needs to address the needs of “forgotten” people in order to win November’s election.

CBS News correspondent Robert Costa pressed Sanders on what his timeline will be for endorsing Harris for the White House during an interview on “The Daily Report.” The Vermont senator, who ran against President Biden and Harris in 2020, said he plans to speak to the vice president again, emphasizing that he wants to know what she will do for working people.

“Well, I look forward to chatting with her again very shortly. We had a nice discussion the other day. But again, what I want to see — because I want her to win — is to speak to the needs of people who have been forgotten for so many years,” he said Monday.

“So, at a time of unprecedented income and wealth inequality, we need a Democratic Party, we need a presidential candidate who is prepared not only to stand up to the big money and trust, but to fight for working people,” Sanders continued. “And if she does that, I think she’s gonna have a great campaign.”

Biden announced Sunday that he would be stepping aside and endorsing Harris for the White House. Democrats quickly rallied behind the vice president and her campaign, which raised $81 million in the first 24 hours since the incumbent dropped out.

Harris has secured endorsements from at least 41 Senate Democrats so far. Sanders made similar comments in a separate interview with CNN’s Anderson Cooper Monday, saying that he will likely endorse her.

“Well, I’m sure that I will, and I wanted to chat with her, and I want to make sure — look, this is a consequential campaign,” he said. “It is, you know, when we talk about the future of the planet and climate change, we have to make sure that we elect the vice president.”

“When we talk about economic rights, we’ve got to make sure that we elect the vice president. I just want to make sure that her campaign understands that for too many people in this country, when they look at Washington, D.C., they feel ignored, they feel insulted that people are not understanding what is going on in their lives.”