Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) added three significant freshman Democrats — Reps. Ayanna Pressley (D-MA), Katie Porter (D-CA), and Deb Haaland (D-NM) — as co-chairs of her campaign, she announced on Friday.
While the majority of the ultra-leftist “Squad” endorsed Warren’s fellow contender and ideological similar Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Warren landed an endorsement from Pressley, who hails from her home state, and secured the backing of freshman Democrats Porter and Haaland.
“It’s my honor to have @Deb4CongressNM, @KatiePorterOC, and @AyannaPressley as my Campaign Co-Chairs. Big structural change can’t wait, and we’ll fight for it—together.” Warren announced on Twitter:
Haaland, one of two Native American women in Congress, faced backlash for endorsing Warren, given the presidential hopeful’s past of falsely claiming Native American heritage.
“What the hell,” says one of the most liked comments on Haaland’s Instagram post announcing the endorsement. “[Warren has] made her career by trivializing who we are for her own gain.” The commenter, a Native American whose sentiment is echoed by many other replies, is referring to Warren’s contentious claims of possessing indigenous heritage.
Porter endorsed Warren in October after reportedly mulling between her and Sen. Kamala Harris (D-CA). The California lawmaker ultimately announced that she was “excited to continue this fight for the middle class” with Warren, who she called her a “friend” and “mentor.”
Pressley veered from her fellow “Squad” members, Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), Rashida Tlaib (D-MI), Ilhan Omar (D-MN), and formally endorsed Warren this month.
“The plans are about power, who has it, who refuses to let it go, and who deserves more of it. For Elizabeth and for me, power belongs in the hands of the people,” she said in an endorsement video.
“That’s why she’s fighting for fundamental change that restores power to those who’ve been left behind and centers those who’ve never had access to it in the first place,” she added:
Tlaib assured the public that the “Squad” is “stronger than anyone knows” after rumors of tension surfaced: