The progressive Working Families Party said on Sept. 16 that it is endorsing Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) for the Democratic primary, dealing a blow to Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) who won the group’s endorsement back in 2016.
“The Working Families Party is proud to announce our endorsement of @ewarren for president in the Democratic primary,” the party announced in a Twitter post.
It said that a majority of members listed Warren and Sanders as their top two picks, with Warren coming out on top with around 60.9 percent of the votes, while Sanders received about 35.8 percent.
“Senator Warren strikes fear into the hearts of the robber barons who rigged the system, and offers hope to millions of working people who have been shut out of our democracy and economy,” said Maurice Mitchell, WFP national director.
“Our job now is to help Senator Warren build the mass movement that will make her transformational plans a reality.”
Mitchell also took to Twitter to clarify their position on Sanders in response to a New York Times article about the announcement.
Back in August, the WFP announced that they were endorsing Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.), Ayanna Pressley (D-Mass.), and Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.)—collectively known as “the squad”—for re-election in 2020.
Her plan involves raising the contribution requirements of the nation’s top 2 percent earners by imposing a 14.8 percent tax on wages for individuals who earn more than $250,000 a year, which will be split equally between employees and employers. Moreover, the plan also imposes a new 14.8 percent tax on investment income on individuals who make more than $250,000 or families who make more than $400,000 annually.