The Atlantic

The Activist Left Already Knows Who It Wants for President

Many of the MSNBC moms and energized youths at the annual Netroots Nation conference have already settled on their top candidate—with a surprising second choice.
Source: Elizabeth Frantz / Reuters

PHILADELPHIA—It’s still early. There will be 16 more months of speech making and glad-handing and glitzy ballroom fundraisers before Election Day. Not committing to a presidential candidate just yet would make sense. But here at Netroots Nation, the premier annual convention for progressive activists, many attendees already seem fairly certain about their choice: They want Elizabeth Warren, the progressive senator from Massachusetts, to be their next president. And if they have to pick a second choice? It’s Senator Kamala Harris of California.

It’s not necessarily intuitive that the same person would support both women: Warren is a folksy public-school teacher turned anti-corruption advocate, while the blazer-wearing Harris is more of an establishment type, with a long career climbing the ranks of power in California. Warren has in favor of grassroots-style meet and greets, while

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