Khanna and AOC battle is "Old Bernie" vs. "New Bernie" (axios.com)

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 Axi