In a symbolic show of support for the Vermont senator, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez seconded the nomination of Sen. Bernie Sanders to be the Democratic party’s presidential candidate in her remarks at the Democratic National Convention on Tuesday evening.
“In a time when millions of people in the United States are looking for deep systemic solutions to our crises of mass evictions, unemployment and lack of health care, espíritu del pueblo and out of a love for all people, I hereby second the nomination of Senator Bernard Sanders of Vermont for President of the United States of America,” Ocasio-Cortez said.
Sanders, who suspended his presidential campaign in April, obviously couldn’t become the nominee, but said at the time he would keep his name on the ballot and continue gathering delegates as a way to “exert significant influence over the party platform.” A candidate needs 1,991 delegates to win the party nomination; as of Thursday, Sanders has 1,097 delegates while Biden — who accepted the party nomination later on Tuesday night — has 2,695.
And, as Ocasio-Cortez explained on Twitter after her video rolled, “Convention rules require roll call & nominations for every candidate that passes the delegate threshold.” Ocasio-Cortez said she was asked to second Sanders’ nomination for the roll call, but that “I extend my deepest congratulations to @JoeBiden – let’s go win in November.” The congresswoman has previously endorsed Biden.
Read Ocasio-Cortez’s full remarks below and watch her remarks here.
Good evening, bienvenidos, and thank you to everyone here today endeavoring towards a better, more just future for our country and our world. In fidelity and gratitude to a mass people’s movement working to establish 21st century social, economic and human rights, including guaranteed health care, higher education, living wages and labor rights for all people in the United States.
A movement striving to recognize and repair the wounds of racial injustice, colonization, misogyny and homophobia, and to propose and build reimagined systems of immigration and foreign policy that turn away from the violence and xenophobia of our past; a movement that realizes the unsustainable brutality of an economy that rewards explosive inequalities of wealth for the few at the expense of long-term stability for the many, and who organized a historic grassroots campaign to reclaim our democracy.
In a time when millions of people in the United States are looking for deep systemic solutions to our crises of mass evictions, unemployment and lack of health care, espíritu del pueblo and out of a love for all people, I hereby second the nomination of Senator Bernard Sanders of Vermont for President of the United States of America.
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