Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren — by Ethan Miller/Getty Images and Ronen Tivony/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images

Throughout this election cycle, I have seen many pundits and people equate Senator Sanders and Senator Warren as being the same or extremely similar. Many have even went as far as saying that Senator Warren is just a “female Bernie.” First, let me just say how awful it is to frame a woman and her accomplishments only in relation to a man’s achievements — and second, let me provide a non-comprehensive list of the many differences between Senator Sanders and Senator Warren.

When reading this list, please note that not every issue is necessarily as important as another issue. The importance of each problem will depend on your identities and lived experiences. That said, I believe everything on this list is at least worth considering in some respect.

Without further ado:

Healthcare

A screenshot of Warren’s plan for mental health care from her website.

Warren has expressed no interest in cancelling medical debt; Bernie has a policy to do just that.

Bernie speaking about the Green New Deal at a Rally at Howard University on May 13, 2019— by Alex Wong/Getty Images

Climate Change

Education

Warren gives Trump a standing ovation after he declares America will never be a Socialist nation. Bernie does not.

Economic System

Bernie Sanders speaking at Vermont’s first Lesbian and Gay Pride day in 1986.

LGBT Rights

Housing

Warren wants to invest a $500 billion to build some unspecified amount of affordable housing, but is firmly against national rent control, which will inherently lead to rent prices increasing again. Her expansion of housing availability and affordability is also entirely insufficient, as pointed out by housing advocates at the Iowa People’s Presidential Forum. Warren wants to provide first-time home buying support and counseling only to specific individuals who were red-lined or segregated against and are still low-income; Bernie has detailed an extensive housing policy that invests trillions into building the 7.4 million affordable housing units and 2 million mixed housing units we need, massively expanding Section 8 housing and funding programs for homeless folk, and creating first-time home buying support and counseling for all people. In addition, it establishes nation-wide rent control, and provides tenant protections like banning “at will” evictions. His plan aims to eliminate homelessness and housing inequity. It is strongly supported by housing advocates.

Campaign Finance & Political Corruption

Foreign Policy

Warren is a war hawk; Bernie is not. See this article and this article.

Warren voted for Trump’s military budgets; Bernie did not.

Warren supports economic sanctions against Venezuela (she said she didn’t, then said she did); Bernie does not. These respiration have led to thousands of deaths.

Warren seems to have no interest in ending the Korean war and finding peace with N. Korea; Bernie does.

Warren has mostly supported Israel; Bernie supports Palestine.

Warren views our military might as critically important, wants to expand our military power, and votes to expand it; Bernie wants to cut our military spending and, instead, spend that money on other issues.

is a war hawk; is not. See this article and this article. voted for Trump’s military budgets; did not. supports economic sanctions against Venezuela (she said she didn’t, then said she did); does not. These respiration have led to thousands of deaths. seems to have no interest in ending the Korean war and finding peace with N. Korea; does. has mostly supported Israel; supports Palestine. views our military might as critically important, wants to expand our military power, and votes to expand it; wants to cut our military spending and, instead, spend that money on other issues. Warren has no plans for leveraging aid to Israel; Bernie has detailed a position of leveraging the aid we provide to Israel to push them towards more helpful solutions.

Bernie Sanders striking with UAW members as they picket at the General Motors Detroit-Hamtramck Assembly Plant on Sept. 25, 2019, in Detroit. — by Bill Pugliano/Getty Images

Workers Rights

Criminal Justice

Immigration Reform

Warren has not come out in favor of a moratorium on deportations; Bernie has.

Political Problems & Miscellaneous

I can promise that this list could go on more, but these are the major points I have at the moment.

For me, these differences make it clear that Bernie Sanders is by far the best candidate for all the people in America. If you feel the same way, I encourage you to volunteer for Senator Sanders’s campaign! You can canvas, send text messages (great for folks with social anxiety like myself!), make calls, and more. We need everyone to provide the time and skills they have if we are going to win this. Sign up to volunteer here!

***Note: Bernie’s current policies will transition us to a system of Social Democracy, not a system of Democratic Socialism. As stated, they will effectively give workers power over the means of production, will drastically lower inequality, etc., but the means of production for many organizations will still technically be owned by Capitalists, and this will lead to some inherent level of exploitation.

However, I do think that Bernie is a Socialist. He was a part of the Young People’s Socialist League in college and later a member of the anti-Capitalist Liberty Union Party. He even ran as a Liberty Union Candidate for a U.S. Senate seat in his first run for office. Bernie is also a huge fan of “Eugene V. Debs, the founder of the Social Democratic Party of America who ran five times on the socialist ticket for president in the early 20th century.”

If he is one, why run on policies that won’t move us to a system of Democratic Socialism? I think he realized that it’s extremely difficult to jump to a system of Democratic Socialism via reform unless you first move to a system of Social Democracy. But I firmly believe that Bernie is truly a Democratic Socialist at heart.

Even if he isn’t one, Bernie still acknowledges a disdain for Capitalism as a system by taking on the Democratic Socialist label. Warren chooses to actively endorse and defend Capitalism, a system of inherent exploitation.