Progressives hunt for new, younger leaders post-Sanders-Warren era
by Hanna Trudo and Amie Parnes - 10/03/22 6:00 AM ET
Progressives are on the quiet hunt for a new generation of leaders, eagerly awaiting the outcome of the midterms to plot their next steps.
“We’ve been talking about fresh blood for years,” said one Democratic strategist who reluctantly supported President Biden in the 2020 election. “Years! And every time we go back to the dinosaurs because we say we have nothing better.”
Progressives’ two biggest national fixtures — Sens. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) — themselves aren’t young and some in the party are ready for a blank canvas in 2024 or beyond, particularly if Biden decides not to seek reelection or if November’s outcome is less than favorable for their side.
There was a nascent effort this spring by close allies to prop up Sanders, 81, as an alternative if Biden doesn’t run and a leaked memo surfaced with talking points about his possible future plans.
Sanders didn’t shut down the idea of competing for the Democratic presidential nomination for a third time, saying this week in an interview with CBS News: “I haven’t made that decision.”
But many Democrats are hesitant if not outright hostile to the prospect of nominating a man older than the sitting president to compete against what’s expected to be a close presidential race in a divided country.
“We should be finding ways to elevate some rising stars in the party who have been crowded out by people like Bernie,” another Democratic strategist said, making the case that an overhaul is needed when the top figures of the party are in their 70s and 80s.
Biden has repeatedly said he plans to campaign for a second term, but that hasn’t stopped Democrats from looking around to see who could fill the progressive lane. If Sanders doesn’t do it, the question of who steps in becomes more puzzling.
Warren is quite a bit younger than her fellow Senate liberal and represents something that progressives want on their slate: gender diversity.
She has reinserted herself into the political debate recently through Biden’s student loan forgiveness policy, which she helped champion alongside Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.).
But while Warren, 73, was popular with many women and college-educated voters in 2020, she failed to get the kind of traction that Sanders did in the Democratic primary, including with working class and Black voters.
Her distant finishes in several early primary contests deflated the momentum that she enjoyed earlier into the cycle, coming in at fourth place in New Hampshire, which borders her home state of Massachusetts.
Those shortcomings contribute to the view by some in the party that voters clearly want another choice.
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https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/3669308-progressives-hunt-for-new-younger-leaders-post-sanders-warren-era/
