In Call for Unity, Ocasio-Cortez Says She’ll Back Biden If He’s the Democratic Nominee

“November, this is more important than all of us.”

Tom Williams/ZUMA

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Some Bernie Sanders supporters appear to be settling into a familiar fog of conspiratorial anger in the wake of a disappointing Super Tuesday this week, with many refusing to back Joe Biden if the former vice president ends up being the Democratic nominee. (If you’re interested in defeating Donald Trump this fall, that could be a pretty problematic stance! But hey, we’ve been here before.)

So, amid the frustration, Sanders’ top surrogate, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, is once again urging Democrats to unite and back whoever the party’s nominee might be—even if it’s not Sanders.

“A lot of people are saying now that ‘Look we’re basically down to two candidates,’ and everyone’s worried if one wins, will the supporters of the other sort of agree to support the Democratic nominee,” Seth Meyers said on Late Night. “Is it safe to assume that you will support Joe Biden if he is the nominee?”

“Yeah, I’ve said throughout this entire process that what is so important is that we ultimately unite behind who that Democratic nominee is,” she continued, noting that she’s also witnessed the same refusal from Biden’s camp. “I’ve been concerned by some folks that say if Bernie’s the nominee, they won’t support him and the other way around.”

“Right now, November, this is more important than all of us and we really need to make sure that we defeat Donald Trump at the polls.”

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DONALD TRUMP & DEMOCRACY

Mother Jones was founded to do things differently in the aftermath of a political crisis: Watergate. We stand for justice and democracy. We reject false equivalence. We go after, and go deep on, stories others don’t. And we’re a nonprofit newsroom because we knew corporations and billionaires would never fund the journalism we do. Our reporting makes a difference in policies and people’s lives changed.

And we need your support like never before to vigorously fight back against the existential threats American democracy and journalism face. We’re running behind our online fundraising targets and urgently need all hands on deck right now. We can’t afford to come up short—we have no cushion; we leave it all on the field.

Please help with a donation today if you can—even just a few bucks helps. Not ready to donate but interested in our work? Sign up for our Daily newsletter to stay well-informed—and see what makes our people-powered, not profit-driven, journalism special.

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