Bernie Sanders: Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez would be part of his White House
After winning her endorsement, the Vermont senator says the freshman congresswoman would have a place in his administration if he becomes president
At age 30, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez may be too young to be Sen. Bernie Sanders running mate, but she does have a standing job offer in his White House if elected.
Ocasio-Cortez endorsed Sen. Sanders at a presidential rally in New York on Saturday and would sit down for a joint interview to show that she is firmly in the democratic hopeful’s corner.
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When asked about being Sen. Sanders running mate, she replied: “I think I’m too young for that.” But the Vermont Senator answered for her in terms of joining his administration, saying “Yes, you would.”
The two sat down with CBS News after the rally. Ocasio-Cortez shared with the crowd at the pressure she has felt since becoming the youngest woman elected to Congress made her “appreciate the enormous, consistent and non-stop advocacy” of Sanders.
Referring to the recent heart attack of Sanders as a “gut check,” Ocasio-Cortez revealed her decision to support Sen. Sanders came during his recovery.
“Neither me nor the senator cannot do this by ourselves,” Ocasio-Cortez said.
The CNN-televised Democratic primary debate marked the return of Sen. Sanders to the campaign trail. He was questioned about his health during the debate, which he offered “I’m healthy. I’m feeling great” as a response.
Ocasio-Cortez was joined by Minnesota Rep. Ilhan Omar in supporting Sanders and both were met with criticism of their decision to promote a white male as the next president.
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“I’m actually very excited about this partnership because it shows what we have to do in our country, is that we have to come together across race, across gender, across generation,” Ocasio-Cortez responded.
Support for Sanders comes at a time that sees him trailing both Sen. Elizabeth Warren and former Vice President Joe Biden in national poll averages collected by RealClearPolitics. USA Today conducted a poll with Suffolk University, which places Sanders in fourth place, with South Bend, Ind., mayor Pete Buttigieg also ahead of him.
