New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez signaled in an interview published Monday that she will support Joe Biden’s presidential bid in November but said that the process of uniting the party behind his campaign should be “uncomfortable for everyone involved.”
“And if Biden is only doing things he’s comfortable with, then it’s not enough,” the freshman congresswoman told The New York Times.
Ocasio-Cortez had endorsed Sen. Bernie Sanders’ bid in October, but the Vermont independent dropped out of the race last week, clearing the way for Biden’s path to the Democratic nomination.
The New York Democrat told the Times that Biden’s campaign has yet to reach out to her and that his outreach to Sanders’ supporters and the more progressive wing of the party must go further. It’s up to Biden how enthusiastic her support will be, Ocasio-Cortez told the paper.
She told the Times that a Biden rally with her could be a possibility, but noted she has never spoken to the former vice president. “I’m not trying to needle as a way of making a point or to score points. I want to win. And I want to make sure that we win broadly.”