WASHINGTON — Facing a heavy dose of skepticism from Democrats about whether he should stay in the presidential race, President Joe Biden is finding support from a key faction of the party with which he has sometimes clashed: progressives.
Members of the House’s left-leaning “squad” and Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., are expressing support for Biden and using the turmoil to try to move him closer to his economic vision for the country in the race against Donald Trump.
“I spoke extensively with the president this weekend. He has made it very clear that he is in this race. He has made it very clear that he is not abandoning the race. He is the nominee. I’m making sure I support him and that we win in November,” Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., told reporters.
She added that Biden should take advantage of this moment to “lean in” toward a bolder economic agenda “and move more toward the working class,” “expanding his policies and vision for a second term.”
“If we can expand health care, if we can make sure people’s rents and mortgages are affordable, if we can actually deliver and chart a future that’s more focused on the needs of workers, then I think we can chart a path to victory,” she said.
Sanders made a similar appeal in a statement about “Biden’s path to victory,” calling on him to promote his support for a higher minimum wage, expanded Medicare benefits, a larger child tax credit and raises. of taxes on the rich to preserve Social Security.
“Biden and the Democrats can win this election if they address the needs of the working class,” Sanders said in a statement. “The American people want change. It will either be a change from Trump’s reactionary and xenophobic policies, or a change that will benefit working families.”
Members of the party’s left flank have clashed with Biden over high-profile issues — including U.S. policy toward Israel as it bombs Gaza and its executive actions to crack down on asylum seekers seeking to enter the U.S. illegally.
And it’s a valuable answer for the White House: Filled with questions Tuesday about whether Biden’s standing is eroding within the Democratic Party, press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre cited the support he is receiving and named Ocasio- Cortez. (The White House and Biden’s campaign declined to comment further.)
A source familiar with Ocasio-Cortez’s thinking said she is not interested in intraparty fights and is trying to optimize the odds of success. The source said she is “looking at the panicked Democrats and telling them privately: Tell me who is the alternative that can beat Donald Trump.”
“She just doesn’t see that person,” the source added.
The move represents a pragmatic side that Ocasio-Cortez has demonstrated in recent years, which has pleasantly surprised Democratic leaders and drawn scorn from some left-wing activists who want her to be more combative with her party’s leaders.
Biden has embraced a number of progressive ideas that enjoy widespread popularity, including raising the federal minimum wage and expanding Medicare to cover dental, vision and hearing benefits. But part of the concern on the left is that he will miss opportunities to communicate that agenda — for example, he didn’t mention any of these policies in the Atlanta debate with Trump.
Representative Ro Khanna, Democrat of California, Biden’s campaign surrogate and progressive member of the caucus, has a foot in both camps.
“We see an opportunity to move this party forward in a bolder direction on economic policy – which we believe is not only substantively right, but also good policy,” Khanna said in an interview. “I think some people should give progressives credit. It is not progressives who are part of the circular firing squad. And I think progressives really seem to have a vision for government and that they are putting values above intra-party disputes.”
Two other members of the “squad” said they would stick with Biden.
Rep. Ayanna Pressley, D-Mass., said her focus is on helping reelect Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris to stop Trump from winning and implementing Project 2025’s right-wing agenda.
“President Biden is the nominee,” Pressley said.
“We are losing the plot. I just celebrated my daughter’s 16th birthday and I’m terrified of the world she will inherit, a world where 10-year-olds are raped, impregnated and forced to bear a child – a nation of forced birth. Project 2025, this is not a wish list. This is a political plan,” Pressley said. “I’m not focused on a 90-minute debate. I am focused on the potential for 90 years of harm to everyone who calls this country home.”
Representative Ilhan Omar, Democrat of Minnesota, said in a statement that she also stands “with President Biden and Vice President Harris.”
“I remain committed to helping the president succeed in November and defeat Donald Trump to ensure this criminal never holds office again,” Omar said.
Representative Cori Bush, Democrat of Missouri, said she sympathizes with Biden.
“Right now, the same right-wing influences that are trying to take me down are trying to take down President Biden. So that’s where my head is at. But I’m listening to my colleagues and my voters,” Bush told reporters. “And so we’re still having a lot of conversations.”
This story originally appeared on NBCNews.com read the full story
