{"id":2640456,"date":"2026-08-04T16:36:01","date_gmt":"2026-08-04T20:36:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/a-behind-the-scenes-war-is-underway-between-bernie-sanders-insiders-report\/"},"modified":"2026-08-04T16:39:01","modified_gmt":"2026-08-04T20:39:01","slug":"a-behind-the-scenes-war-is-underway-between-bernie-sanders-insiders-report","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/a-behind-the-scenes-war-is-underway-between-bernie-sanders-insiders-report\/","title":{"rendered":"A Behind the Scenes &#8216;War&#8217; Is Underway Between Bernie Sanders Insiders: Report"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">24<\/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%2Fa-behind-the-scenes-war-is-underway-between-bernie-sanders-insiders-report%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=2640456&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>Teh article discusses Bernie Sanders, an 84-year-old independent senator from Vermont who caucuses with Democrats, and his vision for his political movement&#8217;s succession. While Sanders seems to favor passing his movement to Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (AOC), some insiders support democratic Representative Ro Khanna, citing differences in their political approaches and relationships with the Democratic establishment. Sanders and AOC share a close personal bond rooted in their shared ideals, leading many to believe she is the natural heir. Though, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/usually-just-a-phase-15-year-landmark-study-says-gender-confused-kids-likely-to-grow-out-of-it\/\" title=\"Long-Term Study Finds Gender-Confusion in Kids Often Temporary\">critics highlight concerns<\/a> over her ties to the party elite and question her record compared to Khanna, who has gained prominence for bipartisan efforts and challenging the system. The debate over Sanders&#8217; successor reflects broader intra-party dynamics, with some advocating for more progressive challengers to the establishment.  <\/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\"><br \/>\n<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC \"-\/\/W3C\/\/DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional\/\/EN\" \"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/TR\/REC-html40\/loose.dtd\"><br \/>\n<?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><html><body><\/p>\n<section> \t\t\t\t<script>console.log(\"ad slot (AC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC2)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC3)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC4)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (REP_0)\")<\/script><\/p>\n<p>Independent Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont, an 84-year-old socialist who caucuses with Democrats, has his own succession plan in mind.<\/p>\n<p>Not all leftists, however, will defer to their patriarch on the question of who inherits his national political movement.<\/p>\n<p>According to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.politico.com\/news\/2026\/08\/04\/bernie-sanders-successor-aoc-khanna-michigan-test-01023159\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Politico<\/a>, whereas Sanders appears content to bequeath his movement to Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York \u2014 commonly known as AOC \u2014 some Sanders insiders have already thrown their support behind Democratic Rep. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/elon-musk-threatens-legal-action-ro-khanna-congressmans-outrageous-lie\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Ro Khanna<\/a> of California.<\/p>\n<p>The differences appear to hinge on personal politics as well as the two legislators\u2019 perceived relationships with the party establishment.<\/p>\n<p>Sanders and AOC, per Politico, \u201c a deeply personal bond their advisers say transcends politics but remains rooted in their d ideals.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The movement\u2019s patriarch, therefore, has never harbored any doubts about his successor\u2019s identity.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s always been clear that AOC is the heir,\u201d one anonymous Sanders confidante said. \u201cAlways.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Another anonymous Sanders confidante said that the lawmaker would be \u201cless inclined\u201d to endorse anyone besides AOC.<\/p>\n<p>Not everyone in Sanders\u2019 circle, however, s his enthusiasm for the New York lawmaker.<\/p>\n<p>For instance, on her podcast in May, former Sanders press secretary <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/former-bernie-spokeswoman-says-many-dems-happily-vote-tucker-carlson-aoc\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Briahna Joy Gray<\/a> lamented the fact that many leftists would vote for longtime conservative commentator and recent Israel critic Tucker Carlson over AOC.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI am frustrated by that dynamic because I don\u2019t want Tucker Carlson to be president,\u201d she said. \u201cI also can\u2019t see myself damaging my own credibility by telling someone to vote for AOC.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Indeed, much of the anti-AOC sentiment among leftists comes from her coziness with the Democrat establishment.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAOC cares so much about her colleagues, and her colleagues are establishment Democrats,\u201d Cenk Uygur, founder of the online progressive network The Young Turks, said, per Politico.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI don\u2019t care about them. In fact, I\u2019m opposed to them. I want them challenged in primaries.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Uygur also touted Khanna\u2019s record compared to AOC\u2019s.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThere\u2019s a difference between being a progressive in policies and being a progressive in action. And action requires you challenging the system, challenging the establishment. On those grounds, it\u2019s not close. Ro Khanna is head and shoulders above every other Democrat,\u201d Uygur said.<\/p>\n<p>Last month, Vice President <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/watch-jd-vance-aoc-trade-2028-barbs-speculation-heats\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">J.D. Vance<\/a> predicted that AOC would win the Democrats\u2019 2028 presidential nomination.<\/p>\n<p>Khanna, however, has significantly elevated his profile.<\/p>\n<p>For instance, in 2025, the California progressive teamed up with Rep. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/thomas-massie-marjorie-taylor-greene-team-dem-congressman-bid-force-epstein-files-release\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Thomas Massie<\/a>, a Republican from Kentucky, and now-former Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, a Republican from Georgia, to push legislation that eventually forced the release of files pertaining to the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/jd-vance-says-trump-administration-absolutely-screwed-release-epstein-files\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Vance<\/a>, of course, has admitted that President Donald Trump\u2019s administration botched the release of those files.<\/p>\n<p>Khanna, therefore, has some non-partisan credentials, whereas AOC struck at least one Sanders insider as an empty vessel.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cPeople who are supporting her are supporting her more as a brand,\u201d the operative said. \u201cWhat does it mean to work with her? What does it mean for her to pass a bill? I don\u2019t know her theory of change.\u201d<\/p>\n<div style=\"background-color: #f7f7f7; color: #171717; display: flex;font-size: 16px;font-weight: 600;line-height: 1.5;margin: 24px 0;padding: 18px 20px 18px 30px;text-align: left;\">\n<div style=\"align-self: stretch;border-left: 3px solid #171717;flex-shrink: 0;padding-left: 20px;\"><\/div>\n<p><a style=\"text-decoration: none;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/preferences\/source?q=https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/\">Choose The Western Journal as your preferred source on Google and never miss reporting that defends truth, protects freedom, and advances Western civilization<\/a><\/div>\n<p style=\"border: 1px solid #f5f5f5; padding: 16px;\">Advertise with The Western Journal and reach millions of highly engaged readers, while supporting our work. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/advertise-us\/?wj_source=article\">Advertise Today<\/a>.<\/p>\n<div style=\"position: relative;\">\n<div class=\"ff-fancy-header-container\"> \t\t\t \t<\/div>\n<div class=\"entry-submit-correction inner-content\">\n<div class=\"correction-form\">\n<form style=\"display: none;\">\n<div class=\"sc-name-field\"> \t\t\t\t\t\t<label>* Name<\/label> \t\t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"text\" name=\"name\" required> \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<div class=\"sc--field\"> \t\t\t\t\t\t<label>* <\/label> \t\t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"text\" name=\"\" required> \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p> \t\t\t\t\t<label>* Message<\/label> \t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t<textarea name=\"message\" required><\/textarea> \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"required-message\" style=\"display: none; padding-bottom: 15px;\">* All fields are required.<\/div>\n<p> \t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"submit\" value=\"Submit\" onclick=\"event.preventDefault(); firefly_sc();\"> \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"firefly-sc-confirm\" style=\"display: none;\">Success!<\/div>\n<\/p><\/form>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p> \t\t<script> \t\t\tfunction firefly_sc() { \t\t\t\tif( typeof window.captchaPublicKey == typeof undefined ){ \t\t\t\t\tconsole.error('window.captchaPublicKey is not defined'); \t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\tgrecaptcha.execute( window.captchaPublicKey, { action: 'submit_correction' } ).then( function( token ) { \t\t\t\t\tvar opts = { \t\t\t\t\t\taction:    'firefly_sc_submit', \t\t\t\t\t\tname:      document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"name\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\t:     document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tmessage:   document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"message\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tpost_id:   firefly_post_id, \t\t\t\t\t\tcap_token: token \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\tvar inputs = [ 'name', '', 'message' ];  \t\t\t\t\tfor( var i = 0; i < inputs.length; i++ ) if( ! 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Politico reports Sanders favors Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez as his heir, though some insiders support Rep. Ro Khanna instead<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2640457,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Ben-Working-Feature-Image-2026-08-04T143319.084.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[32175,83680,42252],"class_list":["post-2640456","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-bernie-sanders","tag-campaign-warfare","tag-political-insider"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Ben-Working-Feature-Image-2026-08-04T143319.084.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2640456","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\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2640456"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2640456\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2640465,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2640456\/revisions\/2640465"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2640457"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2640456"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2640456"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2640456"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}