Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York, one of the most prominent progressives in the Democratic caucus, said late Monday that she supports President Biden.
“I spoke with the president over the weekend,” Ocasio-Cortez told reporters outside the Capitol, “I spoke to him at length, and he was very clear then and has been ever since that he was going to run in this race. This matter is resolved.”
On Monday, she highlighted Biden’s efforts to reiterate that message. “Joe Biden is our candidate,” she said. “He’s not dropping out of the race, he’s still in the race, and I’m supporting him.”
Ocasio-Cortez said Democrats needed to refocus on former President Donald J. Trump and what he would do if re-elected. She called on Biden to “increase his focus on issues that are so important to working people across this country,” including expanding Medicare and Social Security and lowering home affordability, the report said.
“I think what’s critical right now is to focus on what it takes to win in November,” she said, “because he’s going to be running against Donald Trump, who has been convicted of 34 felonies, who has 34 felonies, and not a single Republican has asked that Donald Trump not be the nominee.”
Lawmakers returned to Washington on Monday after recess, with Democrats meeting to discuss their way forward.
While a handful of House Democrats have called for Biden to step down since his performance in last month’s debate, Biden has garnered significant political endorsements from others, including members of the Congressional Black Caucus and the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, as well as at least one member of the so-called “Squad,” a group of progressives that includes Ocasio-Cortez.
