Khanna and AOC battle is "Old Bernie" vs. "New Bernie"

Veterans of Bernie Sanders' two presidential campaigns are splitting their allegiances between a pair of Democrats vying to inherit his progressive movement: New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and California Rep. Ro Khanna.

Why it matters: Ocasio-Cortez and Khanna are deploying contrasting strategies to build momentum toward possible White House runs in 2028 — a split that reflects some of the tensions between Sanders' 2016 and 2020 campaigns.

• Khanna has taken a slightly more centrist view than Ocasio-Cortez on issues such as crime and immigration. He's hired key members of Sanders' 2016 campaign, which had a relatively moderate brand on immigration and guns — and didn't fear going negative on Hillary Clinton.
• AOC, meanwhile, has tapped strategists behind Sanders' effort in 2020, when the Vermont senator moved left on social issues to back policies such as decriminalizing border crossings by unauthorized immigrants, and largely avoided bashing Joe Biden.

Driving the news: The fault lines between the "Old Bernie" and "New Bernie" camps burst into public view last week, when Khanna and Ocasio-Cortez clashed over whether progressives should work with former MAGA loyalist Marjorie Taylor Greene.

• Ocasio-Cortez is the clear frontrunner to succeed Sanders. But Khanna, while much less known, has successfully recruited Sanders alums.
• On Khanna's "Old Bernie" team: Jeff Weaver, Sanders' 2016 campaign manager; Julian Mulvey, an ad maker for Sanders that year; Shannon Jackson, a former longtime Sanders aide; and Sarah Michelsen, Sanders' 2020 Nevada state director.
• On AOC's "New Bernie" crew: Mike Casca, Sanders' 2020 senior communications adviser; Oliver Hidalgo-Wohlleben, Sanders' 2020 national delegates coordinator; and outside adviser Matt Duss, the Vermont senator's former top foreign policy aide.

Khanna's aggressive effort to poach Sanders strategists is driven partly by necessity: He's far behind AOC in early 2028 polls, lacks her small-dollar donor base, and isn't a juggernaut on social media as she is.

• "He's trying to collect any Bernie staffer he can," a former Sanders aide said.

Friction point: Sanders ran both of his presidential campaigns on populist economic promises like raising the minimum wage and passing Medicare for All. AOC and Khanna are likewise champions of progressive fiscal policies, but they've diverged on other topics.

• That includes whether to team up with Greene, a former House member who's won praise from some progressives for breaking with President Trump and criticizing Israel's war in Gaza.

Ocasio-Cortez said last week that Democrats shouldn't partner with Greene — remarks that some thought were aimed at Khanna, who's worked with Greene to push for the release of the Epstein files.

• "I personally do not trust someone like Marjorie Taylor Greene, a proven bigot and antisemite, on the issue of what is good for Gazans and Israelis," Ocasio-Cortez said during a talk with Democratic strategist David Axelrod.
• Khanna told Axios, "I will not yield an inch when it comes to standing for progressive values and for the human rights of every person. But if conservatives are willing to support justice for Epstein survivors or stopping the war in Iran, I will work with them."
• AOC also supports the release of the full Epstein files, but was attacked personally by Greene: The Georgia Republican once posted a photo of herself with a gun alongside Ocasio-Cortez and other progressive House members known as the "Squad."

Ocasio-Cortez and Khanna likewise staked out somewhat different stances toward immigration shortly after the 2024 election.

• Khanna said voters backed Trump because they wanted "lower prices and a secure border."
• Ocasio-Cortez focused on the looming impact of Trump's immigration policies, saying that "for all of the people who cast a vote based on grocery prices and inflation, if you think your groceries are expensive now, wait until the farms are empty."
• On crime, Khanna has said he never backed "defunding the police," while AOC was a vocal proponent. Khanna also has reached out to the father of a woman killed in a drunk-driving accident caused by an immigrant who authorities said was here illegally. Conservatives call them "angel families," and they've been among Trump's most loyal supporters.

Khanna has also been more combative toward would-be 2028 rivals than AOC has.

• As he's tried to elevate his national profile, Khanna has picked fights with California Gov. Gavin Newsom, for example.

What they're saying: Sanders alumni working for AOC and Khanna told us they're in contact, and there is some overlap between their operations. Weaver was a senior adviser on Sanders' 2020 campaign, and Casca was part of his 2016 crew.

• Duss said he talks to Khanna.
• "The two teams like each other and have a lot of shared connections, given everyone is part of the progressive movement and pushing towards many of the same goals," a person familiar with both camps said.