On NY’s left, some ‘newfound hope’ in Kamala Harris

In the 24 hours since President Joe Biden bowed out of his reelection bid and backed Vice President Kamala Harris to lead the Democratic ticket in November, some of the earliest New Yorkers to jump on board with Harris have been progressive Democrats.

From left-leaning Democrats to Democratic socialists, a handful of progressive New Yorkers – including Reps. Nydia Velázquez and Jamaal Bowman, state Sen. Jessica Ramos and Council Member Chi Ossé – were among the coconut-pilled on Sunday – a list that’s since grown in number across the Democratic spectrum. 

That’s true even among progressives who weren’t especially enthusiastic about supporting Biden for reelection – not just because of concerns about his age and odds against former President Donald Trump, but because of major policy disagreements between the left and the Biden administration. Among those is the left’s demands for a ceasefire in Gaza, and simmering anger at the administration’s foreign policy in Israel and Palestine. In April, 12% of New York Democratic primary voters cast blank ballots rather than vote for Biden, following a campaign organized by pro-Palestine activists.

But amid mounting pressure from mainstream Democrats on Biden to step aside following a dispiriting debate performance last month, some progressives have expressed more enthusiasm about Harris, herself a relatively moderate Democrat and a former prosecutor. “I am campaigning hard for @KamalaHarris if she becomes the nominee,” Ossé, the Democratic council member from Brooklyn, wrote on Twitter last week. “I know many people like me who say they’ll do the same.”

There’s not quite a complete coalition of progressives behind Harris yet. The New York Working Families Party, for example, has not made any official endorsement. “We’re currently putting the question of endorsement to our membership. But we’re already hearing renewed excitement from many of the members we’ve spoken with,” New York Working Families Party co-director Ana María Archila said in a statement. On Sunday, the national Working Families Party thanked Biden for his decision to step aside and commended his legislative achievements.

But some progressives are already voicing more enthusiasm for a Democratic ticket with Harris at the top than they had for Biden, and are making plans to mobilize voters and campaign for Harris. “I believe that, as a progressive, as a leftist, we have a better fighting chance of securing progressive victories under a Harris administration than we do under a second Trump administration,” Ossé said Monday, adding that he’s spoken to people who feel the same – “even folks who were planning on not voting in November because of Biden.”

Council Member Sandy Nurse, who is co-chair of the body’s Progressive Caucus, also endorsed Harris. “I've been very critical of the Biden presidency in the inability to end the war in Gaza,” Nurse said. “And so I was already coming from a pretty disappointed perspective when it came to Biden. I’m more encouraged by Kamala’s conversation around the war in Gaza. And I think ultimately, that a Kamala Harris presidency will create a terrain that the progressive movement, the progressive left, the institutional left, will be able to seek and gain more wins under that presidency than under a Biden presidency, and certainly than under a Trump presidency.”

While Harris’ positioning on the Israel-Hamas war hasn’t majorly diverged from Biden’s, several progressives noted that she has called for a ceasefire and spoken about conditions in Gaza as a “humanitarian catastrophe.” State Sen. Jessica Ramos, who was also quick to endorse Harris, predicted that the war in Gaza could still be a holdout issue for some progressive Democrats in November. “I understand where they are coming from. My perspective is that I would rather wrestle over this issue with President Harris than I would with that sad excuse for a man,” Ramos said, referring to Trump.

Nurse sees a more hopeful terrain for the progressive movement under Harris not just on that issue but in general. Nurse said that as a Black woman and a multicultural woman with significant experience in government, Harris can sympathize with the needs of working women and the topline issue of reproductive rights. 

Ramos echoed a sentiment shared by other progressives that Harris isn’t a perfect candidate for the movement. “I have all sorts of commentary, criticisms, reservations with her – and potentially every other candidate we could think of,” Ramos said, noting as one example Harris’ record on immigration and not being as outspoken as she would like to see on creating opportunities for migrants. But the bigger issue, Ramos said, is defeating Trump. “Our nominee is Kamala Harris. We’re going to organize, we’re going to make sure that we are getting out the vote so that we can win this election and save our country.”

One progressive who has stood by Biden in recent months has followed suit in endorsing Harris too. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez announced her support of Harris despite raising concerns just last week about Biden stepping down from the ticket – and harshly criticizing anonymous doomsayers within the Democratic Party who she said were adding to mounting pressure on Biden without presenting a viable plan to coalesce around another candidate. 

While the Democratic National Convention is still a month away, some progressives are already talking about campaigning for Harris. “I’ve already seen conversations around how we’re going to mobilize locally, among both progressive lawmakers and organizations, and how we’re now stepping into the fight,” Nurse said. “We have an answer now, we have our call to action, and I think we need to move quickly.”

Council Member Lincoln Restler, who also endorsed Harris, said he’s eager to campaign. “I think this is a major shot in the arm for the Democratic Party. And I think we all have a newfound hope that we can block Donald Trump's return to the White House,” he said. “If it's just 100 days, this is going to be the shortest, most intense presidential sprint we've ever experienced. And we got a lot of work to do.”

Restler, Ossé, Nurse and Ramos all suggested they would be vocal in advocating for progressive policies under a potential Harris presidency, however. “I plan to be advocating and critical of a Kamala Harris presidency, and hold and push for accountability,” Nurse said. “But this is the best option we have at this time. And I think we need to get clear on that and move forward.”

Ossé, one of the few Gen Z lawmakers in office in New York, urged the Democratic Party not to waste one strong asset Harris already has going for her. “I really hope that the Democratic Party acknowledges that Kamala is likable,” he said, alluding to coconut tree and brat summer memes that have produced more than a few viral fancams. 

Will Ossé’s TikTok skills be made available to the Harris campaign? “I definitely want to be put in touch with them. I am here to help, I really am,” Ossé said. “And I don't think I would have felt as comfortable doing that if Biden stayed in the race.”