Bernie Sanders angers Democrats after Kamala Harris defeat: 'Not a big surprise'

Sen. Bernie Sanders ripped apart the Democratic Party after Vice President Kamala Harris lost to President-elect Donald Trump on Tuesday.

Trump appeared poised to capture the battleground states and secure another term as president, while Harris underperformed voters across the country after what was at times a tense campaign. Democrats have already begun their autopsy of the election results, while Harris supporters are expressing a mix of outrage and despair.

Sanders, a Vermont independent who is caucusing with Democrats re-elected Tuesday night, issued a scathing statement Wednesday afternoon about the Democrats' performance.

“It should come as no great surprise that a Democratic Party that has failed the working class would find that the working class has failed them,” Sanders wrote. “First it was the white working class, now it’s also Latinos and black workers.”

He criticized the Democratic leadership for defending “the status quo” while Americans “are angry and want change.”

“Will the big money interests and well-paid consultants who control the Democratic Party learn real lessons from this disastrous campaign? Will they understand the pain and political alienation experienced by tens of millions of Americans? Do you have any ideas, how?” “We can take on the increasingly powerful oligarchy that has so much economic and political power,” Sanders wrote.

Sanders raised concerns about the Democratic Party's response to several key issues, including health care, drug prices, the rise of artificial intelligence and the U.S. response to the conflict between Israel and Hamas in Gaza.

“In the coming weeks and months, those of us who are concerned about grassroots democracy and economic justice will need to have some very serious political discussions,” he wrote.

Newsweek Harris' campaign emailed for comment.

Final-stage polls showed a tight race between Harris and Trump, with both campaigns consistently expecting key battlegrounds to come to the fore.

As of Wednesday evening, networks had called Georgia, Michigan, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin for Trump. He also held the lead in Arizona and Nevada, although those states had not yet been called as of about 6 p.m. ET.

Democrats are already divided over why Harris lost. Progressives blame it Harris' tactics took center stage in their defeat. They have also argued that their support for Israel cost them their votes in Michigan. Some have raised concerns about voters' perception of Harris be too liberal.

Election polls showed that the economy and concerns about democracy motivated voters. Harris had sought to allay concerns about the economy as the inflation rate has fallen since 2022. But voters still expressed general dissatisfaction with the country's financial situation and direction.

Update 6/24/11, 6:37 p.m. ET: This article has been updated with additional information.