{"id":2612806,"date":"2026-06-10T07:49:01","date_gmt":"2026-06-10T11:49:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/democrats-split-on-bernie-sanderss-2028-heir\/"},"modified":"2026-06-10T07:50:59","modified_gmt":"2026-06-10T11:50:59","slug":"democrats-split-on-bernie-sanderss-2028-heir","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/democrats-split-on-bernie-sanderss-2028-heir\/","title":{"rendered":"Democrats split on Bernie Sanders&#8217;s 2028 heir"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">14<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fdemocrats-split-on-bernie-sanderss-2028-heir%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2612806&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>democrats are debating who could carry forward Sen.Bernie Sanders\u2019 progressive agenda for the 2028 presidential primary after his comments suggesting he isn\u2019t planning a White House run. Among the potential \u201cheirs\u201d ofen mentioned are Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Ro Khanna, both of whom have recently shown public political activity in key primary areas.  <\/p>\n<p>Rather than naming a successor, both Ocasio-Cortez and Khanna downplayed the idea of a single heir, portraying Sanders\u2019 influence as a movement shared by many <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/los-angeles-d-a-gascon-launches-campaign-to-stop-right-wing-recall-attempt-from-trump-mega-donors\/\" title=\"Los Angeles D.A. Gasc\u00f3n Launches Campaign To Stop \u2018Right-Wing Recall Attempt... From \u2018Trump Mega-Donors...\">progressive elected officials<\/a>. Other progressive lawmakers and allies echoed similar caution, arguing Democrats should not choose too early and should let the primary process unfold after the 2024 election.  <\/p>\n<p>Still, outside progressive groups are already urging whoever leads the 2028 effort to <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >adopt major left-leaning policy priorities<\/a> such as Medicare for All, the Green New Deal, and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/biden-silent-on-memo-to-cancel-student-debt\/\" title=\"Biden Silent on Memo to Cancel Student Debt\">student debt cancellation<\/a>, and to make structural decisions like strengthening voting rights and protecting reproductive freedom. The article also notes that enthusiasm for reclaiming the White House is growing, but urges candidates to be bold and ready to change political rules as Democrats reassess their direction following recent electoral setbacks.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<article class=\"fn-body\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/democrats\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"249\">Democrats<\/a> are divided over who will take up the progressive mantle during their <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/2028-elections\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"11676\">2028<\/a> presidential primary season after Sen. <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/bernie-sanders\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"41\">Bernie Sanders<\/a> (I-VT) appeared to rule out a White House run during a conversation with Robert Costa at the National Press Club.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Several progressives are thought to be Sanders\u2019s apparent heir-in-waiting, including Reps. <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/alexandria-ocasio-cortez\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"282\">Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez<\/a> (D-NY) and <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/ro-khanna\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"5039\">Ro Khanna<\/a> (D-CA).<\/p>\n<section class=\"explore-more-section\" id=\"wex-recommended-widget\">\n<div class=\"magazine-container single\">\n<h1 class=\"magazine-title mt-2\">Recommended Stories<\/h1>\n<p>             <i class=\"fa-solid fa-play icon\"><\/i>         <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-grid\">\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/presidential\/4601101\/democrats-ruled-out-2028-presidential-bid\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Which Democrats have taken themselves out of the 2028 presidential race?<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/presidential\/4599700\/gregory-bovino-2028-president-bid\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Ex-Border Patrol official Bovino not ruling out 2028 run if that\u2019s \u2018what it takes\u2019<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/presidential\/4587074\/donald-trump-jr-2028-campaign\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Could Donald Trump Jr. launch a 2028 presidential campaign?<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Both House Democrats have traveled to important 2028 primary states this year, raising speculation that they are laying the groundwork for a future presidential campaign. <\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap\" style=\"min-height:5px;\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" style=\"display:none;\">Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-15\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-1\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Khanna appeared at the South Carolina Democratic Party\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/trump-desantis-and-pence-to-speak-at-north-carolina-gop-convention-amid-2024-speculation\/\" title=\"Trump, DeSantis, and Pence to address NC GOP convention amidst 2024 rumors.\">annual state convention<\/a> and at Rep. Jim Clyburn\u2019s (R-SC) annual fish fry fundraiser late last month. Ron Klain, chief of staff during former President Joe Biden\u2019s administration, is reportedly also advising Khanna.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Ocasio-Cortez made a surprise appearance at Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, Georgia, which is pastored by Sen. Raphael Warnock (D-GA), last month.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Sanders is close to both lawmakers and is unlikely to put his thumb on the scale for either candidate if they both run in 2028. Neither Khanna nor Ocasio-Cortez said they were likely to take up Sanders\u2019s position in the 2028 race in interviews with the <em>Washington Examiner<\/em>.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap\" style=\"min-height:5px;\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" style=\"display:none;\">Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-16\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-2\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cSen. Sanders has inspired hundreds of thousands around the country,\u201d Khanna said. \u201cHis movement is not going to be carried by any single individual, it\u2019s going to be carried by people running for the House, for the Senate, for governor, for president, and that\u2019s the beauty of what he has done.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Similarly, Ocasio-Cortez claimed the Democratic Party was \u201cblessed to be part of a really robust progressive movement.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cAnd also there I think Bernie is his own titan,\u201d she continued. \u201cI don\u2019t think there\u2019s anyone that can recreate one to one what Bernie has accomplished.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap\" style=\"min-height:5px;\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" style=\"display:none;\">Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-17\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-3\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The New York Democrat downplayed conversations about who Sanders\u2019s heir would be.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThere\u2019s never been one heir. Every single one of us, I think, is a beneficiary of the work that he has accomplished,\u201d Ocasio-Cortez said. \u201cWe\u2019re all very different leaders as well, and I don\u2019t want to be the next anyone, I want to be the first me.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Other progressive Democrats were hesitant to say who they wanted to take up Sanders\u2019s mantle in 2028. <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cLet\u2019s see what emerges,\u201d said Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-WA), who backed both Sanders\u2019s 2016 and 2020 White House bids. \u201cI\u2019m of the mind that we shouldn\u2019t pick our candidate too early.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Jayapal called for the Democratic Party to allow the primary process to play out after the 2024 election saw former Vice President Kamala Harris hastily replace former President Joe Biden as the nominee after his shocking exit from the race. <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cLet a process play out, and let\u2019s let a lot of good people jump in, and let\u2019s see where we are before putting our thumb on the scale,\u201d she said. \u201cWe\u2019ve seen how that happens.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Rep. Jasmine Crockett\u00a0(D-TX) did not name a Democrat she wanted to see follow in Sanders\u2019s footsteps in an interview with the <em>Washington Examiner<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cBernie and AOC are obviously very close, and I\u2019m sure that AOC will continue to be who she is,\u201d Crockett said. <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Rep. Andre Carson (D-IN), another member of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, said he was still weighing 2028, but implored whoever ran to not forget about the Midwest.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThey\u2019re good buddies of mine. I love both of them,\u201d he said of Khanna and Ocasio-Cortez. \u201cI haven\u2019t decided, because I gotta see who comes to the Midwest.\u201d <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Joseph Geevarghese, executive director of the Sanders-founded group Our Revolution, said \u201cno one has a lock on this base, nor should they.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWhat we\u2019re looking for is simple: Who is actually fighting the oligarchs right now?\u201d Geevarghese continued. \u201cWho is showing up for working people, taking on corporate power, and delivering? Zohran Mamdani just showed the whole country what progressive governance looks like in practice.\u00a0There could be surprise candidates nobody is talking about yet.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Democrats are still hashing out which direction the party should take in 2028 as President Donald Trump\u2019s 2024 victory exposed the weakness of Democratic policies. Centrist politicians like Gov. Abigail Spanberger (D-VA) and Mikie Sherrill (D-NJ) both won their off-year elections in 2025, but New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani also won decisively the same year by running as an unabashed democratic socialist.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Outside progressive groups are already pushing whoever is running in 2028 to embrace progressive policies, including \u201cMedicare for All,\u201d the \u201cGreen New Deal,\u201d and student debt cancellation.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThe next Democratic candidate has to make hard structural decisions,\u201d said Andrea Pringle, president of March On PAC. \u201cPassing the Voting Rights Act, protecting reproductive freedom at the federal level, and being honest about expanding the Supreme Court \u2014 because nine justices chosen for life by a broken process is not a representative institution.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/senate\/4599811\/bernie-sanders-2028-president-bid\/\" type=\"link\" id=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/senate\/4599811\/bernie-sanders-2028-president-bid\/\"><strong>BERNIE SANDERS ON POSSIBLE 2028 BID: \u2018I SUSPECT THAT\u2019S NOT GOING TO HAPPEN\u2019<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Pringle pointed to the growing enthusiasm among Democrats to retake control of the White House but warned leaders not to play small. <em><\/p>\n<p><\/em>\u201cOur base voters are looking for leaders bold enough to meet the moment and brave enough to change the rules so the next generation doesn\u2019t have to fight the same battles all over again,\u201d Pringle said. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Democrats split over who will lead progressives next in 2028<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2658,"featured_media":2612807,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/democrats-split-bernie-heir.jpg?w=696","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[41461,32175,3685,66123,37443],"class_list":["post-2612806","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-2028-election","tag-bernie-sanders","tag-democrats","tag-party-divisions","tag-progressive-politics"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/democrats-split-bernie-heir.jpg?w=696","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2612806","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2658"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2612806"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2612806\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2612810,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2612806\/revisions\/2612810"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2612807"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2612806"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2612806"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2612806"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}