Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez made it clear that when it comes to economic regulation, Vice President Kamala Harris can't please everyone. As some of Harris' supporters from the business and tech worlds urge her to replace Lina Khan as chair of the Federal Trade Commission should she win in November, AOC made it clear that progressives wouldn't welcome such a move.
AOC took to X, formerly known as Twitter, to respond to comments from billionaire and Harris surrogate Mark Cuban. He recently told Semafor that Harris shouldn't keep Khan, known for her ambitious antitrust agenda, on as chair because "she's hurting more than she's helping."
"Let me make this clear, since billionaires have been trying to play footsie with the ticket," AOC tweeted in response. "Anyone goes near Lina Khan and there will be an out and out brawl. And that is a promise. She proves this admin fights for working people. It would be terrible leadership to remove her."
Harris hasn't commented on whether she plans to replace Khan — or Gary Gensler, the chair of the Securities and Exchange Commission who has drawn the ire of crypto leaders — if she wins. Khan's term technically ended this month, though she can stay on as chair until a president replaces her.
Throughout the election, Harris has leaned on her California roots to woo business and tech leaders, including Cuban, Reid Hoffman, and Laurene Powell Jobs. Powerful venture capitalists have banded together to support her; nearly 100 current and former CEOs penned a joint letter endorsing her bid for the White House; industry leaders are working to court conservatives on her behalf. Many of her big Silicon Valley and Wall Street advocates are focused on the importance of economic appointments and, in particular, Khan's future.
Yet Harris is also balancing progressive Democrats' viewpoints as she seeks to build a broad coalition and hammer home how her economic agenda will benefit everyday Americans. Should Harris win the election in less than a month, it remains unclear how she'll handle the looming Khan question.
