Post-heart attack, Bernie Sanders might be in the best shape of his life thanks to key presidential endorsements from members of the Squad.
Sanders came up just a little short in the 2016 presidential race, narrowly, losing the Democratic Party nomination to Hillary Clinton. This eventually led to the election of Republican Donald Trump.
Deciding to try again in the 2020 election, Sanders has remained one of the party’s top three candidates in the polls and the odds, usually seated behind Elizabeth Warren and Joe Biden.
2020 Democratic nomination odds
Via Bovada
- Elizabeth Warren -120
- Joe Biden +400
- Bernie Sanders +750
- Pete Buttigieg +800
- Andrew Yang +1500
- Kamala Harris +2000
- Tulsi Gabbard +5000
- Beto O’Rourke +6600
- Cory Booker +7000
- Tom Steyer +10000
- Amy Klobuchar +10000
- Julian Castro +12500
- John Delaney +15000
- Marianne Williamson +15000
- Michael Bennet +20000
- Robby Wells +20000
But after a recent health scare resulting from a heart attack that required emergency surgery, Sanders’s age became a factor for some voters. However, following the endorsements of a few young members of the Democratic Party, Sanders’s chance might be revitalized.
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) and Ilhan Omar (D-MN), two rising stars in the Democratic Party and half of the left-leaning “Squad,” have endorsed Sanders for President of the United States.
Ocasio-Cortez is expected to officially announce her support for Sanders during a rally Saturday in Queens, New York. During the Democratic debate on Tuesday, Sanders hinted at a “special guest” attending the event, presumably Ocasio-Cortez.
Omar released a statement in support of Sanders on Tuesday, highlighting Sanders’s fight for the American middle class.
“Bernie is leading a working class movement to defeat Donald Trump that transcends generation, ethnicity, and geography,” Omar said in the statement. “That is why he is fighting to cancel all student debt. That is why he is fighting to make all school meals universal. That is why he is fighting for a humane immigration policy that treats immigrants as human beings and not criminals. And it’s why Bernie is fighting to end our forever wars and truly prioritize human rights in our foreign policy — no matter who violates them. And it’s why I believe Bernie Sanders is the best candidate to take on Donald Trump in 2020.”
The other two members of the Squad, Rashida Tlaib (D-MI) and Ayanna Pressley (D-MA), have not officially endorsed a Democratic candidate for president.
Although it was previously reported that Tlaib was also endorsing Sanders, the freshman representative told the Detroit Free Press a different story.
“I have not made any endorsement at this time,” she said in her statement. Tlaib did say, however, that she plans to bring Sanders to Detroit on October 27 for a tour.
Pressley, hailing from the same state as fellow-leftist Warren, has remained mum on her endorsement. According to her spokesperson: “Ayanna has tremendous respect for her sisters-in-service. Ultimately, these political decisions are made as individuals.”
The endorsements have yet to influence Sanders’s odds too much, but as his campaign continues, support from the Squad could play a large role in any future success.