Campaign

Ocasio-Cortez to endorse Sanders for president

by Max Greenwood and Justine Coleman - 10/15/19 11:02 PM ET

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) plans to endorse Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) for president this week, a move that could provide a much-needed boost to his campaign.

An aide to Sanders confirmed to The Hill on Tuesday night that the freshman lawmaker will throw her support behind the Vermont Independent.

The news came on the same night Sanders secured an endorsement from Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.), a member of the so-called “squad” that includes Ocasio-Cortez and Reps. Ayanna Pressley (D-Mass.) and Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.).

{mosads}”Bernie is leading a working class movement to defeat Donald Trump that transcends generation, ethnicity, and geography,” Omar said in a statement Tuesday. “And it’s why I believe Bernie Sanders is the best candidate to take on Donald Trump in 2020.”

Ocasio-Cortez will join Sanders at his “Bernie’s Back” rally just outside the freshman lawmaker’s congressional district, according to The Washington Post, which first reported the planned endorsement.

Corbin Trent, a spokesman for Ocasio-Cortez, told the newspaper, “We’re looking forward to Saturday.”

Sanders, who has been struggling to keep pace in the polls with former Vice President Joe Biden and Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), had announced during Tuesday night’s Democratic debate in Ohio that a special guest would join him at a rally in the New York City borough of Queens on Saturday.

Ocasio-Cortez’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment from The Hill.

Ocasio-Cortez, who was a volunteer organizer for Sanders’s 2016 presidential campaign, has been one of the most influential figures among progressives since she defeated former Rep. Joseph Crowley (D-N.Y.) in a 2018 primary.

Her endorsement could deal a blow to Warren, who is competing with Sanders for the liberal wing of the party’s base.

Sanders brought in $25.3 million during the third quarter of 2019, more than any other Democratic candidate.

News of the endorsements came during the last hour of the fourth Democratic presidential debate, where Sanders took the stage about two weeks after suffering a heart attack at a campaign event.

Updated at 11:57 p.m.