Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-CortezAlexandria Ocasio-CortezAttorney says 75-year-old man shoved by Buffalo police suffered brain injury How language is bringing down Donald Trump Highest-circulation Kentucky newspaper endorses Charles Booker in Senate race MORE (D-N.Y.), a high-profile surrogate for Sen. Bernie SandersBernie SandersThe Hill’s 12:30 Report: Milley apologizes for church photo-op Harris grapples with defund the police movement amid veep talk Biden courts younger voters — who have been a weakness MORE’s (I-Vt.) campaign for the White House, said Sunday that the party must rally behind whichever Democratic presidential candidate wins the nomination to take on President TrumpDonald John TrumpSenate advances public lands bill in late-night vote Warren, Democrats urge Trump to back down from veto threat over changing Confederate-named bases Esper orders ‘After Action Review’ of National Guard’s role in protests MORE in November.
“Bernie has said this, I absolutely believe this: whoever gets the nomination, we have to rally behind them, no matter who it is,” the freshman lawmaker told Time in an interview published the day before Iowa’s first-in-the-nation caucuses. “And I would hope that everybody would do so if Bernie is the nominee as well.”
Ocasio-Cortez also told the magazine she thinks Democratic Party attempts to stop Sanders from winning the nomination have been “overblown” but suggested she could see a situation in which elements in the party may be used to try and block Sanders.
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She warned against party leaders from using rules to block the Vermont senator if he advances as the nominee after the upcoming caucuses and primaries, adding she thinks it could hurt the party’s chances of beating Trump in the general election.
“I don’t think it’s a good idea for people to try to use superdelegates or other kind of subversive policies to deny anybody the nomination because it’s incredibly divisive to do so, and very demoralizing, which is a direct threat in November,” she told Time.
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“The moment you start playing games trying to deny whoever is the nominee, we really start to get into dangerous territory in terms of defeating Trump,” she added.
Sanders, who finished second to Hillary ClintonHillary Diane Rodham ClintonWhite House accuses Biden of pushing ‘conspiracy theories’ with Trump election claim Biden courts younger voters — who have been a weakness Trayvon Martin’s mother Sybrina Fulton qualifies to run for county commissioner in Florida MORE in the 2016 Democratic primary, has been surging in recent polls ahead of Monday’s Iowa caucuses.
A RealClearPolitics average of Iowa polls the day of the caucus had Sanders leading the field in the state at 24.2 percent, a 4-point lead over former Vice President Joe BidenJoe BidenHillicon Valley: Biden calls on Facebook to change political speech rules | Dems demand hearings after Georgia election chaos | Microsoft stops selling facial recognition tech to police Trump finalizing executive order calling on police to use ‘force with compassion’ The Hill’s Campaign Report: Biden campaign goes on offensive against Facebook MORE, at 20.2 percent.
Former South Bend, Ind., Mayor Pete ButtigiegPete ButtigiegScaled-back Pride Month poses challenges for fundraising, outreach Biden hopes to pick VP by Aug. 1 It’s as if a Trump operative infiltrated the Democratic primary process MORE trails in third at 16.4 percent, followed by Sen. Elizabeth WarrenElizabeth WarrenWarren, Democrats urge Trump to back down from veto threat over changing Confederate-named bases OVERNIGHT DEFENSE: Joint Chiefs chairman says he regrets participating in Trump photo-op | GOP senators back Joint Chiefs chairman who voiced regret over Trump photo-op | Senate panel approves 0B defense policy bill Trump on collision course with Congress over bases with Confederate names MORE (D-Mass.) at 15.6 percent, based on the RealClearPolitics average.
In RealClearPolitics national average, Biden maintains a lead with 27.2 percent of the vote to Sanders’s 23.5 percent.