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| Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders: Two Liberals Aiming for the Same Target | |
| (1 day later) | |
| LANSING, Mich. — When Elizabeth Warren took the stage at a rally Tuesday evening, she brought with her the kind of populist economic message that had roused working-class voters here during the presidential race three years ago. | LANSING, Mich. — When Elizabeth Warren took the stage at a rally Tuesday evening, she brought with her the kind of populist economic message that had roused working-class voters here during the presidential race three years ago. |
| “For years, America’s basic economic policy has been to help the big corporations do whatever they want to do,” Ms. Warren told a crowd of about 1,700 supporters. “But these corporations are not loyal to America, or to American workers; they’re loyal to one thing — their bottom line and their shareholders.” | “For years, America’s basic economic policy has been to help the big corporations do whatever they want to do,” Ms. Warren told a crowd of about 1,700 supporters. “But these corporations are not loyal to America, or to American workers; they’re loyal to one thing — their bottom line and their shareholders.” |
| If her economic ideas brought cheers, they also sounded very much like those of another candidate: Bernie Sanders, who rode the same themes to a stunning victory over Hillary Clinton in the Michigan primary in 2016. | If her economic ideas brought cheers, they also sounded very much like those of another candidate: Bernie Sanders, who rode the same themes to a stunning victory over Hillary Clinton in the Michigan primary in 2016. |
| Whether the overlap was calculated or not, her message — coinciding with the rollout on Tuesday of a manufacturing proposal aimed at “economic patriotism” — was designed in part to appeal to the same upper Midwest constituency, many of whom are working class and white, that flocked to Mr. Sanders and later, President Trump. | Whether the overlap was calculated or not, her message — coinciding with the rollout on Tuesday of a manufacturing proposal aimed at “economic patriotism” — was designed in part to appeal to the same upper Midwest constituency, many of whom are working class and white, that flocked to Mr. Sanders and later, President Trump. |
| Neither Ms. Warren’s campaign nor that of Mr. Sanders will say at this point that they are deliberately eyeing each other, even though they are the candidates — out of more than 20 — who most represent the Democratic Party’s left flank. | Neither Ms. Warren’s campaign nor that of Mr. Sanders will say at this point that they are deliberately eyeing each other, even though they are the candidates — out of more than 20 — who most represent the Democratic Party’s left flank. |
| But her trip to the upper Midwest this week is the latest example of how they are increasingly jockeying for the same cohort of left-leaning voters and donors — and even for the support of Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York — who are yearning for transformational change. Immediately after Ms. Warren introduced her manufacturing plan, for instance, one of Mr. Sanders’s aides attacked it on Twitter. | But her trip to the upper Midwest this week is the latest example of how they are increasingly jockeying for the same cohort of left-leaning voters and donors — and even for the support of Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York — who are yearning for transformational change. Immediately after Ms. Warren introduced her manufacturing plan, for instance, one of Mr. Sanders’s aides attacked it on Twitter. |
| Yet while Ms. Warren and Mr. Sanders are often considered two sides of the same progressive coin — united both in their liberal ideology and in their opposition to the race’s current front-runner, Joseph R. Biden Jr. — they have also increasingly diverged in recent weeks in strategy and rhetoric. | Yet while Ms. Warren and Mr. Sanders are often considered two sides of the same progressive coin — united both in their liberal ideology and in their opposition to the race’s current front-runner, Joseph R. Biden Jr. — they have also increasingly diverged in recent weeks in strategy and rhetoric. |
| Like he did in 2016 with much success, Mr. Sanders still prescribes a wholesale revolution in soaring terms, while Ms. Warren has presented herself as the candidate with the plan, proffering a whirlwind of policy proposals that have drawn attention from both voters and the news media. She has hammered her support for implementing policies to make the markets work, an explicit contrast to Mr. Sanders’s brand of democratic socialism, which advocates that a more fundamental rethinking of the political system is necessary. Where Mr. Sanders has trumpeted his stump speech to enthusiastic crowds at big rallies, Ms. Warren has preferred to hold mostly smaller events marked by close, often personal, interactions with voters. | Like he did in 2016 with much success, Mr. Sanders still prescribes a wholesale revolution in soaring terms, while Ms. Warren has presented herself as the candidate with the plan, proffering a whirlwind of policy proposals that have drawn attention from both voters and the news media. She has hammered her support for implementing policies to make the markets work, an explicit contrast to Mr. Sanders’s brand of democratic socialism, which advocates that a more fundamental rethinking of the political system is necessary. Where Mr. Sanders has trumpeted his stump speech to enthusiastic crowds at big rallies, Ms. Warren has preferred to hold mostly smaller events marked by close, often personal, interactions with voters. |
| Ms. Warren has also raced, for better or worse, to stake out firm positions on several divisive issues: She has, for instance, called to end the Senate filibuster, to eliminate the Electoral College and to impeach Mr. Trump, edging farther than Mr. Sanders has. | Ms. Warren has also raced, for better or worse, to stake out firm positions on several divisive issues: She has, for instance, called to end the Senate filibuster, to eliminate the Electoral College and to impeach Mr. Trump, edging farther than Mr. Sanders has. |
| But for most of this primary season, Mr. Sanders, with his fervent base, a presidential campaign under his belt and a network of reliable, small-dollar donors, has loomed over his liberal rival. Now, as the race for the Democratic nomination heads into the crucial summer season, Ms. Warren has managed to break out of that shadow, defying those in the party who doubted before the race began that she could. | But for most of this primary season, Mr. Sanders, with his fervent base, a presidential campaign under his belt and a network of reliable, small-dollar donors, has loomed over his liberal rival. Now, as the race for the Democratic nomination heads into the crucial summer season, Ms. Warren has managed to break out of that shadow, defying those in the party who doubted before the race began that she could. |
| By running a campaign heavy on both policy and biographical details, she has wrested some high-profile liberal supporters away from Mr. Sanders, and in some polls, has shown signs of ticking upward. | By running a campaign heavy on both policy and biographical details, she has wrested some high-profile liberal supporters away from Mr. Sanders, and in some polls, has shown signs of ticking upward. |
| Mr. Sanders himself has even adopted some of Ms. Warren’s signature campaign tactics: He has reintroduced grass-roots fund-raisers, for instance, to say nothing of his decision to start posing for selfies. | Mr. Sanders himself has even adopted some of Ms. Warren’s signature campaign tactics: He has reintroduced grass-roots fund-raisers, for instance, to say nothing of his decision to start posing for selfies. |
| But while Ms. Warren has gained ground, she has not yet cast a shadow of her own. | But while Ms. Warren has gained ground, she has not yet cast a shadow of her own. |
| Mr. Sanders still holds a large advantage in the polls — a point his advisers eagerly highlight — and his supporters say he remains the clear progressive standard-bearer among the larger electorate. If the ideas that Ms. Warren has introduced in this presidential cycle are popular, aides argue, many of them can be tied to ones Mr. Sanders introduced during his 2016 campaign, when he thrust issues like “Medicare for all” and tuition-free public college into the national consciousness. | Mr. Sanders still holds a large advantage in the polls — a point his advisers eagerly highlight — and his supporters say he remains the clear progressive standard-bearer among the larger electorate. If the ideas that Ms. Warren has introduced in this presidential cycle are popular, aides argue, many of them can be tied to ones Mr. Sanders introduced during his 2016 campaign, when he thrust issues like “Medicare for all” and tuition-free public college into the national consciousness. |
| “A lot of these policies that we’ve heard articulated from other candidates are policies that have been core to Bernie Sanders and the case that he’s been making for a very long time,” said Faiz Shakir, Mr. Sanders’s campaign manager. | “A lot of these policies that we’ve heard articulated from other candidates are policies that have been core to Bernie Sanders and the case that he’s been making for a very long time,” said Faiz Shakir, Mr. Sanders’s campaign manager. |
| He rebuffed the idea that the campaign was paying particular attention to Ms. Warren or that they were, in effect, circling each other in the liberal space. “There is a healthy primary,’’ Mr. Shakir said, “and people are evolving and learning strategies and approaches and borrowing from each other.’’ | He rebuffed the idea that the campaign was paying particular attention to Ms. Warren or that they were, in effect, circling each other in the liberal space. “There is a healthy primary,’’ Mr. Shakir said, “and people are evolving and learning strategies and approaches and borrowing from each other.’’ |
| Ms. Warren’s advisers and allies also stress that they are not specifically targeting Mr. Sanders, who maintains a friendly relationship with Ms. Warren and can get prickly when asked about it. Her aides say they are trying to create a rapport with voters that stands against every candidate. | Ms. Warren’s advisers and allies also stress that they are not specifically targeting Mr. Sanders, who maintains a friendly relationship with Ms. Warren and can get prickly when asked about it. Her aides say they are trying to create a rapport with voters that stands against every candidate. |
| According to one measure, a “Party Builder Index” from Future Now Fund, a liberal group focused on state legislature races, and Data for Progress, a progressive think tank, Ms. Warren has engaged in more than twice as many down-ballot races as Mr. Sanders has. In another measure, compiled by the Progressive Change Institute, a nonprofit that is aligned with a political arm that's supporting Ms. Warren, she has taken questions at 72 percent of publicly available events, while Mr. Sanders has taken questions at 31 percent of events. | According to one measure, a “Party Builder Index” from Future Now Fund, a liberal group focused on state legislature races, and Data for Progress, a progressive think tank, Ms. Warren has engaged in more than twice as many down-ballot races as Mr. Sanders has. In another measure, compiled by the Progressive Change Institute, a nonprofit that is aligned with a political arm that's supporting Ms. Warren, she has taken questions at 72 percent of publicly available events, while Mr. Sanders has taken questions at 31 percent of events. |
| Sean McElwee, who co-founded Data for Progress and has not endorsed either candidate, said he felt the different campaign styles of the two candidates, even as they hit similar themes, added up to different electoral prospects. While Mr. Sanders begins the race with a significant edge, Mr. McElwee said, the potential voter pool for Ms. Warren or some other candidates could be larger. | Sean McElwee, who co-founded Data for Progress and has not endorsed either candidate, said he felt the different campaign styles of the two candidates, even as they hit similar themes, added up to different electoral prospects. While Mr. Sanders begins the race with a significant edge, Mr. McElwee said, the potential voter pool for Ms. Warren or some other candidates could be larger. |
| “His floor is higher but his ceiling is lower,” Mr. McElwee said. “The size of the field is really to his benefit now, and as the field winnows, that really stands to benefit a Warren — and if not Warren, then someone like Harris or Booker.’’ | “His floor is higher but his ceiling is lower,” Mr. McElwee said. “The size of the field is really to his benefit now, and as the field winnows, that really stands to benefit a Warren — and if not Warren, then someone like Harris or Booker.’’ |
| While both campaigns are largely reluctant to speak of each other in anything but complimentary terms, they also are inevitably being pitted against each other: by their voting bases, by donors and by progressives searching for a leader who can beat Mr. Trump. | While both campaigns are largely reluctant to speak of each other in anything but complimentary terms, they also are inevitably being pitted against each other: by their voting bases, by donors and by progressives searching for a leader who can beat Mr. Trump. |
| “I definitely think it is a competition you should be looking at,” said Dave Tencza, a local Democratic Party official in New Hampshire. “There’s a potential at least that they split the same segment of the Democratic electorate around here.” | “I definitely think it is a competition you should be looking at,” said Dave Tencza, a local Democratic Party official in New Hampshire. “There’s a potential at least that they split the same segment of the Democratic electorate around here.” |
| Maria Urbina, the national political director for the progressive group Indivisible, said one of the most common comparisons of the two senators is in how they handle issues of racial justice and its intersections with economic inequality. In 2016, Mr. Sanders was criticized for not creating more connections with nonwhite voters, particularly older ones who strongly favored Mrs. Clinton. This year, he has been campaigning regularly in racially diverse areas but also faces strong competition from two black senators in the race, Cory Booker and Kamala Harris, as well as Mr. Biden. | Maria Urbina, the national political director for the progressive group Indivisible, said one of the most common comparisons of the two senators is in how they handle issues of racial justice and its intersections with economic inequality. In 2016, Mr. Sanders was criticized for not creating more connections with nonwhite voters, particularly older ones who strongly favored Mrs. Clinton. This year, he has been campaigning regularly in racially diverse areas but also faces strong competition from two black senators in the race, Cory Booker and Kamala Harris, as well as Mr. Biden. |
| Ms. Warren’s focus on detail has also generated excitement, Ms. Urbina said, particularly among the progressive activists plugged into Washington politics. | Ms. Warren’s focus on detail has also generated excitement, Ms. Urbina said, particularly among the progressive activists plugged into Washington politics. |
| “As she rolls out prescriptions and a vision, people get excited and that’s a good thing,” Ms. Urbina said. “People are seeing a level of detail and care and they’re reacting to it.” | “As she rolls out prescriptions and a vision, people get excited and that’s a good thing,” Ms. Urbina said. “People are seeing a level of detail and care and they’re reacting to it.” |
| Perhaps the most direct example yet of Ms. Warren targeting supporters associated with Mr. Sanders is her trip to the Midwest this week: In Michigan and Indiana, where Ms. Warren is campaigning Wednesday, she is making a play for some of the working class voters who supported Mr. Sanders over Mrs. Clinton, and who later helped deliver the presidency to Mr. Trump. | Perhaps the most direct example yet of Ms. Warren targeting supporters associated with Mr. Sanders is her trip to the Midwest this week: In Michigan and Indiana, where Ms. Warren is campaigning Wednesday, she is making a play for some of the working class voters who supported Mr. Sanders over Mrs. Clinton, and who later helped deliver the presidency to Mr. Trump. |
| People close to Ms. Warren say the trip is intended as the next articulation of her economic vision, and to beat back some of the concerns about “electability,” a word that is often used to cast women or racial minorities as more difficult politicians to elect. These people say the most unelectable candidates in this region are the ones who backed economic proposals that hurt its voters, a framework that would explain Mrs. Clinton’s struggles, but also includes Mr. Biden. | |
| Mr. Shakir, the Sanders campaign manager, dismissed Ms. Warren’s trip as anything more than strategic campaigning. "I’m sure she’s just trying to find her own voters,” he said. He then cited Mr. Sanders’s own swing through the Midwest in April, as well as polling the campaign did at the time that showed him favorably positioned in the region against Mr. Trump. | Mr. Shakir, the Sanders campaign manager, dismissed Ms. Warren’s trip as anything more than strategic campaigning. "I’m sure she’s just trying to find her own voters,” he said. He then cited Mr. Sanders’s own swing through the Midwest in April, as well as polling the campaign did at the time that showed him favorably positioned in the region against Mr. Trump. |
| But others see it as a direct attempt to compete with Mr. Sanders. | But others see it as a direct attempt to compete with Mr. Sanders. |
| Ms. Warren’s trip is “absolutely” an example of her campaign taking aim at Mr. Sanders, said Lon Johnson, a former chairman of the Michigan Democratic Party. | Ms. Warren’s trip is “absolutely” an example of her campaign taking aim at Mr. Sanders, said Lon Johnson, a former chairman of the Michigan Democratic Party. |
| “When you look across this field, Bernie is playing defense in many ways while all the others are playing offense,” he said. “Bernie has a market share to protect and the others have a market share to gain.” | “When you look across this field, Bernie is playing defense in many ways while all the others are playing offense,” he said. “Bernie has a market share to protect and the others have a market share to gain.” |
| Then there are the voters. Though it is early in the primary and many remain undecided, some who support Ms. Warren are quick to cite comparisons to Mr. Sanders. | Then there are the voters. Though it is early in the primary and many remain undecided, some who support Ms. Warren are quick to cite comparisons to Mr. Sanders. |
| “The things I liked about Bernie was the progressive idealism, but the things I liked about Clinton was the pragmatism,” Valerie McIntosh, 28, said at a rally for Ms. Warren in Detroit. “Warren does a good job of meshing the idealism that people on the left feel and identify with policy ideas that feel tangible.” | “The things I liked about Bernie was the progressive idealism, but the things I liked about Clinton was the pragmatism,” Valerie McIntosh, 28, said at a rally for Ms. Warren in Detroit. “Warren does a good job of meshing the idealism that people on the left feel and identify with policy ideas that feel tangible.” |
| Carol Sickman-Garner, 52, offered a succinct reason of her own. | Carol Sickman-Garner, 52, offered a succinct reason of her own. |
| “For one,” she said, “she’s a woman.” | “For one,” she said, “she’s a woman.” |
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