Ocasio-Cortez, Omar, Tlaib endorse Bernie Sanders for president
Three congresswomen, two of whom are Muslim, lend support to Jewish candidate, who is considered most critical of Israel out of all the Democrat contenders
Democratic congresswomen Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Ilhan Omar, and Rashida Tlaib are endorsing Bernie Sanders for president.
The Sanders campaign confirmed Tuesday the backing by three members of “The Squad,” a group of four congresswomen, including Rep. Ayana Presley of Massachusetts, who are trying to pushing for more left-wing policies in the Democratic party.
Omar and Tlaib, the first two Muslim women in Congress, were expected to separately publish statements of support for Sanders, who is Jewish, Haaretz reported Wednesday.
The endorsements are a major boon for the 78-year-old Vermont senator, who has faced questions over his health since suffering a heart attack two weeks ago.
The 30-year-old Ocasio-Cortez, 38-year-old Omar, and 43-year-old Tlaib are progressive stars and frequent targets of US President Donald Trump.
Sanders’s deputy communications director Sarah Ford said Ocasio-Cortez will appear with the senator at a rally in her home district in New York this weekend.
Sanders appeared to hint at her backing during Tuesday’s Democratic debate in response to a question about his age, saying his skeptics should attend his Saturday rally featuring a “surprise guest.”
Ocasio-Cortez, Tlaib, and Omar have all been more critical of Israel than most Democratic lawmakers, while Sanders, who has spent time on a kibbutz in Israel, is considered to be more critical of Jerusalem than others running for the Democratic nomination.
Sander has said he would consider cutting American foreign aid to Israel in order to pressure Jerusalem over its policies.
He has also been a strong critic of Israel’s settlement activity and West Bank presence. In June, he posed with IfNowNow activists holding a sign that read, “Jews Against Occupation.”
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