From the moment Bernie Sanders exited the presidential race in early April, many activists, organizers, progressive groups and elected officials had held out hope that Joseph R. Biden Jr. would elevate one of their ideological allies to the vice presidency — someone like Senator Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts or Representative Karen Bass of California. Kamala Harris, an establishment-friendly senator from California and more of a moderate, was near the bottom of their list.

So when Mr. Biden announced on Tuesday that he had selected Ms. Harris to serve as his running mate, his choice reaffirmed what many progressives had long feared: that any potential Biden administration would govern as the former vice president had spent most of his career — firmly rooted in Democratic establishment politics.

But rather than revolt, many progressive activists and elected officials immediately snuffed out their criticisms and instead proclaimed their support, applauding the selection and reiterating that removing President Trump from office was their electoral priority. Even those prone to denouncing Mr. Biden and other moderates largely tried to make peace.

“At the end of the day, this isn’t some democratic decision,” said Evan Weber, the political director for the Sunrise Movement, the climate advocacy group, which endorsed Mr. Sanders in the primary. “This was always going to be a decision that was up to the vice president and a personal one of his.”

Source: New York Times

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