A Q&A with Elizabeth Warren on Kamala Harris and the 2024 race

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Democrats have lined up behind Vice President Kamala Harris with lightning speed. She’s raised $200 million in a week, and is now on the verge of becoming the party’s presidential nominee. (Even the Obamas are in.)

Among her earliest backers was Sen. Elizabeth Warren.

The senior senator from Massachusetts signaled support for Harris before President Biden even announced his decision to step aside. I recently spoke with Warren about her relationship with Harris, and why she thinks her former 2020 primary rival can unite Democrats and beat Donald Trump in November.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity. 

Anthony Brooks: The party has a deep bench of talent. Why do you think Vice President Harris is the best choice now for Democrats?

Elizabeth Warren: I have known Kamala for nearly 15 years. We started working together back when she was attorney general in California, and I was setting up the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau in the aftermath of the 2008 crash. And it was shoulder to shoulder, fighting back against the giant banks that were trying to cheat homeowners. She was tough, focused and effective.

AB: Some in the party say there should be a competitive process to pick a candidate. What’s your response to that?

EW: There is competition. Anybody who wants to step up can certainly do it. I’m making clear who I support because I know how good she is, and also because she’s had three and a half years as vice president on the front lines. She is battle-hardened and ready to go.

AB: So does Harris simply run as the heir apparent to Biden? Or will she offer a new vision for America that, in some way, departs from Biden?

EW: Kamala will run as her own person, which she always has been. But her issues are the core values that we share as Democrats. She’s been out there fighting for families. And she has shown that she’s willing to go up against the big banks and the corporate executives. She believes in a country that doesn’t just work for the billionaires.

AB: A major candidate for president has never dropped out so late in the process. Given that, what are the risks for Democrats?

EW: I know we don’t have a pattern to follow here, but I think that’s OK. We know the contrast. Think about this: 20-30% of all women in the United States now live in a state that effectively bans abortion. If Donald Trump and JD Vance are in charge, it will be 100%. With Kamala Harris and the Democrats, we’ll have Roe versus Wade [as the law of the land] and protection of access to abortion and IVF.

These contrasts are going to be even sharper with Kamala at the top of the ticket.