Ocasio-Cortez backs Biden for reelection

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), one of the most vocal progressives on Capitol Hill, has backed President Biden’s reelection bid.

Ocasio-Cortez told the “Pod Save America” podcast Thursday she would support Biden, who faces two long-shot challengers in the 2024 Democratic primary.

“I believe, given that field, yes,” Ocasio-Cortez said when asked whether she would support the incumbent president in the next election.

“I think he’s done quite well, given the limitations that we have,” she added of Biden’s first three years in office. “I do think that there are ebbs and flows, as there are in any presidency.” 

Two Democrats have launched 2024 bids against Biden — self-help author Marianne Williamson and prominent anti-vaccine activist Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

The president is polling well ahead of both candidates, and the Democratic National Committee has said it does not plan to hold any primary debates.

“There are areas that I think were quite strong,” Ocasio-Cortez said on the podcast while discussing the president’s record so far, noting “he came right out of the gate with the American Rescue Plan.”

“And of course, the Inflation Reduction Act was a massive step in terms of our climate agenda,” she continued. “But, you know, there are also areas that I think could have gone better. The president and I think the Democratic Party in general continues to struggle with immigration.”

Several other high-profile progressives, including Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Congressional Progressive Caucus Chairwoman Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.), lined up behind Biden after he officially launched his campaign in late April. 

Ocasio-Cortez previously said she “unequivocally” supported the party’s nominees, but she had not explicitly thrown her support behind Biden’s reelection bid before this week.