Wealthy 'democratic socialist' Bernie Sanders praises Kamala's price controls, econ policies as ‘strong’ and ‘progressive’

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT), a self-described democratic socialist, has voiced strong support for Vice President Kamala Harris’ newly unveiled economic policies, describing them as both “strong” and “progressive.”

Speaking with MSNBC’s Chris Hayes on Friday, Sanders commended Harris’s proposals, noting her progress as a presidential candidate in such a short time.



“Well, I think given the fact that she has been a candidate for only three weeks, I think she’s doing really, really well in a whole lot of ways,” Sanders said. “I think what she laid out today was a strong progressive agenda.”

“Obviously, in the weeks and months to come, I think she’s going to add more specificity to some of these proposals, and she’s going to add to it,” he continued.

Harris announced her economic plan on Friday and with some other points during the week, which includes several policies that would align with the views of left-wing proponents like Sanders. Among her proposals is a subsidy of up to $25,000 for first-time homebuyers using taxpayer dollars. She also promoted the implementation of price controls on groceries and prescription drugs. Analysts have estimated that her proposed policies could cost up to $1.7 trillion, according to The Hill.

“I have always believed that good policy is good politics, and what she is talking about today is reining in the outrageously high cost of prescription drugs that’s enormously popular. The right thing to do,” Sanders said on MSNBC.

Harris, who was listed by GovTrack in 2019 as the most liberal US Senator—ranking even further left than Sanders—has long championed progressive causes. However, while Sanders has shown increasing support for Harris in recent days, he has seemingly been hesitant with her selection as the Democratic Party’s nominee after Joe Biden’s decision to not run for re-election.

In a recent interview on comedian Theo Von’s podcast, Sanders was asked if Harris is the best candidate to challenge Donald Trump in the upcoming election. Sanders responded somewhat reservedly, saying, “Well, she is the person,” without explicitly endorsing her as the best choice. He did, however, refer to her as “smart” and “determined.”