Why this Warren supporter will be voting for Bernie Sanders in the Democratic Primary Genevieve Mansfield Follow Mar 3 · 6 min read

In the fall of 2015, I moved into my college dorm room and prioritized setting up my poster collection above all else. Feeling very cool, I placed the Game of Thrones and Red Hot Chili Peppers posters on the closet door, with a smaller copy of Dali’s “Meditative Rose” below. The crown jewel was of course my “Bernie 2016" sticker. That spring, I voted for the first time in the Maryland Democratic Primary, admittedly having also played around with not registering as a Democrat in order to become a carrying member of the Green Party (this did not end up happening). But, above all else, I really wanted to vote for Bernie and the movement he represented.

The 2016 elections, both the primary and general, taught me a lot about the role of sexism in electoral politics. I began to notice subtle things that made me increasingly uncomfortable with leftist spaces and self-avowed leftist classmates. I frequently felt talked over and condescended by the white, class-reductionist cis-men around me who identified as such. To be fair, I also experienced this with conservative men, but I expected better from the ones who claimed to be allies. In the next four years, I oscillated between firmly believing in the socialist project and feeling like I didn’t fit in with the people who claimed to represent it.

As soon as Elizabeth Warren announced her candidacy, I was immediately excited about it, though not because of the arbitrary belief that women are inherently more equipped than men to lead. The attitude that we need to “call mom to clean up the mess” in itself reinforces sexist tropes. However, it goes without saying that we do not inhabit a post-patriarchal world. Electing women to high office is important, not only because of the immeasurable impact of descriptive representation, but also because a completely gender-blind approach to voting ignores the reality of the patriarchy we exist in. Moreover, I liked the way Elizabeth Warren talked. She did not shy away from giving intersectional answers to intersectional problems…a personal qualm I had (and still have) with Senator Sanders. And though she is no socialist, she is still quite possibly the most progressive Democratic woman who has run for President in my lifetime. Unlike many fellow leftists, I did not see her Medicare for All “walk-back” as a move toward the center but rather a carefully considered approach that would lead to universal healthcare by her third year in office. I have no doubt that Senator Warren is committed to championing progressive causes and that she seeks to be held accountable for when she falls short. Ultimately, however, I came to the realization that ensuring every woman the right to free, universal healthcare outweighs my personal desire to vote for a progressive woman in the primary.

I am voting for Bernie not only because he has championed the same causes his entire career, but also because we must consolidate the left in order to avoid a contested convention. Here is why you should too:

On Policy: Some of Sanders’ policy objectives contrast from Warren’s in crucial ways. In addition to all of the goals they share, Senator Sanders unequivocally supports abolishing the predatory agency, ICE, a position that Senator Warren has yet to take a firm stance on. Another disappointing recent update has been Warren’s decision to take money from Super Pacs. After championing a small dollar fundraising campaign and calling out her opponents for cozying up to big money, Elizabeth Warren appears to have flip-flopped on an issue that was once a calling card for her. The Dodd–Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, which created the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, is among Warren’s greatest accomplishments. Warren really did take on big banks and financial institutions in the aftermath of the recession, and she facilitated crucial legislation to stop the practice of predatory lending. This huge anti-corruption accomplishment simply does not square with Warren’s recent decision to accept money from the billionaires she supposedly disdains. In contrast to this, Bernie Sanders’ campaign does not take money from Super Pacs, though many have attempted to paint the non-profit “Our Revolution” as such. Aida Chávez, reporting for The Intercept, found that “Our Revolution posts the names of all donors who give more than $250, though the amount is not tied to an identity, meaning it’s impossible to know which on the list are the six who gave more than $5,000.” This does not sound like a Super Pac to me. Finally, Warren is allegedly supportive of the Trumpian economic sanctions on Venezuela, which have resulted in thousands of people losing access to the medicine, food, and other necessities.

On the Coalition: Bernie’s 2020 support has shown that he is truly in the business of building a multiracial, multigenerational, working class coalition. This contrasts from his predominantly white base in 2016. The messaging from the Sanders campaign has shifted from a focus on the white working class to building an inclusive, representative coalition. Whereas, Warren’s base is much less diverse and predominantly made up of college educated whites.

On Twitter, Reddit, and Podcasts: I would be remiss if I did not address the famous “Bernie Bro” mantra. This is a problem. Tweeting snake emojis and the #NeverWarren hashtag at the top female candidate in the race is problematic. However, we must be clear on who these “Bernie Bro’s” really are and who they are not. Generalizing all of Bernie’s base, which is diverse in race, age, and gender, is also unacceptable. Members of the so-called “Dirtbag Left” are hypocrites and have no place in this movement. It is not representative of the hashtag #NotMeUs to criticize the manner in which Pete Buttigieg, the most recognizable gay man in the country, kisses his husband (tweet below) or to wish Queer Eye’s Jonathan Van Ness death by AIDS from a private account. However, the Chapo Trap House and Red Scare podcast hosts, and their reddit pages, are not Bernie Sanders’ base. I am not asking whether or not this behavior should be accepted, but I am asking: should it be the reason Joe Biden gets the Democratic nomination?

On the Contested Convention: As of now, Elizabeth Warren’s delegate count is 8. Polls show that Sanders is more popular than all of the other candidates. FiveThirtyEight gives Warren a less than 1% chance of getting the 1,991 delegates needed to take the nomination, conversely there is a 67% chance of no one candidate getting the majority of necessary delegates. It is likely that we are headed into a contested convention, meaning the Democratic Party establishment would choose the candidate. If the left does not band together and support Bernie, who has a 52% chance of getting a plurality delegates, this will surely become a reality. A contested convention would fracture the party, leading many to abstain from voting, and it could hand the election to Trump. Warren’s disappointing support for a contested convention runs starkly against the democratic messages her campaign preaches and is likely solely for personal gain, similar to her decision to take Super Pac money.

Believe me, I want a woman President. I still think Elizabeth Warren would make a good President. However, the polls show that Bernie beats Trump, and in the Quinnipiac poll it is by as much as 8 points! If you care about the progressive causes Elizabeth Warren wants to bring to fruition, then now is the time to unite the Left behind Bernie Sanders.