WASHINGTON - Progressive independent Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders accused former Vice PresidentKamala Harrisof being "heavily influenced" by rich people in the 2024 race, which she lost toPresident Donald Trump. Duringa rally in Wheeling, West Virginia, on Aug. 8, Sanders told a crowd that one of the reasons he thinks Harris lost the election was that she had "too many billionaires telling her not to speak up for the working class of this country." The rally was one of the many Sanders is holding around the country as part of his "fighting oligarchy" tour, aimed at mobilizing voters to stand up against the Trump administration. When asked about his remarks, Sanders told CNN's Dana Bash on "State of the Union" that Harris is a friend of his, but that her "core consultants were heavily influenced by very wealthy people." AnOct. 30, 2024, Forbes analysisfound that more billionaires backed Harris than Trump. Some ofHarris' supporters includedfilm director Steven Spielberg; Eric Schmidt of Google; Laurene Powell Jobs, widow of Apple founder Steve Jobs; and Melinda French Gates, former wife of Bill Gates, Forbes says. "How do you run for president and not develop a strong agenda which speaks to the economic crisis facing working families?" he said, adding that most Americans are living paycheck to paycheck and that the healthcare system is "broken." Bash then said that Harris did discuss affordability, to which Sanders replied that she did it in a "vague" manner and that he didn't want to "rehash" the campaign. "I think the key to Democratic victories is to understand that you got to stand unequivocally with the working class of this country," Sanders said. "You need an agenda that speaks to the needs of working people." Harrissaid on July 30 that she won't runfor California governor, leaving the door open for a potential 2028 presidential run. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Sanders slams Harris for being 'influenced' by billionaires in 2024
