FTC chief Lina Khan has fans as different as Bernie Sanders and Matt Gaetz. She’s not surprised

Federal Trade Commission (FTC) Chair Lina Khan’s aggressive stance on antitrust has been widely criticized by corporate America. But it’s also won her support from Congressional Democrats, and even some Republicans.

Republicans who like her — the so-called Khanservatives — include controversial Florida House Republican Matt Gaetz, who has told The Wall Street Journal (NWS) his party “can’t be whores for big business and be the voice of the working class at the same time.” Republican Sen. Josh Hawley of Missouri has praised her efforts taking on big tech companies, and even Vice Presidential nominee J.D. Vance has said Khan is doing a “pretty good job.”

Khan also has strong support within her party. Democrats, from New York Rep. Jerry Nadler, to Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren and Independent Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont, have all backed Khan.

She addressed her two party appeal while speaking at Fast & Company’s Innovation Festival in New York City on Friday. “This is actually not all surprising to me because there has been as American tradition of viewing concentrated economic power and monopolies with some suspicion,” Khan said.

Khan added that “as more of these dominant firms have been gaining power,” she’s been hearing from both Republicans and Democrats that their constituents and communities are suffering from abusive practices. She pointed to some firms’ commercial surveillance and data practices, which the FTC took action against this week.

In a 129-page report released Thursday, the FTC examined how big tech companies collect, use, and sell people’s data. The Commission said that some of the largest social media and streaming platforms — including Amazon’s (AMZN) Twitch, Meta’s (META) Facebook, Alphabet’s (GOOGL) YouTube, X. Corp, and ByteDance’s TikTok — have engaged in “vast surveillance” of users.

Under Khan the FTC has also taken legal action against several prominent mergers, such as Microsoft’s $69 billion deal with Activision Blizzard and Kroger’s (KR) $25 billion plan to buy Albertsons (ACI). Although the FTC failed to block Microsoft’s (MSFT) acquisition, and is currently appealing the case, Khan said Thursday that it laid out “some very useful analysis,” which is helping the agency build more cases.

Although much of her party has backed Khan, some major Democratic donors have called on Vice President Kamala Harris to fire her should she be elected to the White House in November.

LinkedIn co-founder Reid Hoffman in July said Khan is “a person who is not helping America,” adding that “antitrust is fine” but that “waging war is not.” IAC (IAC) Chairman Barry Diller has said he would lobby a Harris administration to drop Khan and called her a “dope,” a remark he would later apologize for. IAC is reportedly facing multiple investigations from the FTC, although it’s unclear which of the firm’s dozens of brands are at the heart of the inquiries.

Khan has said the FTC is “squarely focused” on protecting consumers from illegal business practices, telling ABC News in May that it “it would be an honor” to be nominated for another term as commissioner after her tenure ends on Sept. 26.

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