Bernie Sanders Endorses the ‘Squad’ as Democrats Angle to Keep House Majority

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) on Wednesday endorsed seven progressive lawmakers, including the four far-left members of the “Squad,” ahead of the looming general election as Democrats attempt to maintain their majority in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Sanders endorsed seven lawmakers on Wednesday, including the four far-left members of the “Squad — Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), Ilhan Omar (D-MN), Rashida Tlaib (D-MI), and Ayanna Pressley (D-MA), all of whom, minus Pressley, endorsed his presidential bid.

The socialist senator also threw his weight behind Reps. Ro Khanna (D-CA), who co-chairs Sanders’ campaign, and Mark Pocan (D-WI), who chairs his campaign in Wisconsin.

Additionally, Sanders endorsed Rep. Peter Welch (D-VT) and two congressional candidates — Jessica Cisneros, vying for Texas’s 28th District and Georgette Gómez, running for California’s 53rd District.

“This is the most important election in our lifetime and I’m proud there are so many candidates running for Congress who understand that real change comes from the bottom on up, not the top on down,” Sanders said in a statement, according to the Hill.

“They’re all strong advocates for real change and together we will build a movement to transform this nation so that it works for all our people,” he added.

Sanders’ endorsement comes as Democrats angle to maintain a House majority — a political goal that has been largely compromised by vulnerable House Democrats voting to impeach the president, despite opposition from their respective constituents.

An American Action Network (AAN) survey released in January showed that voters in Trump-won, Democrat represented districts — specifically the districts of Reps. Anthony Brindisi (D-NY), Xochitl Torres Small (D-NM), and Joe Cunningham (D-SC) — developed less favorable opinions of their representatives after learning that they voted to impeach the president.

As Breitbart News reported:

They all represent districts that President Trump won during the 2016 presidential election and that Democrats flipped during the 2018 midterm elections. Republicans hope to retake roughly 20 congressional seats so that they regain the House majority.

These three Democrats voted for both articles of impeachment against President Trump, charging that the president abused the office of the presidency and obstructed Congress.

The AAN survey found that a majority of likely voters across these three districts oppose impeachment by margins even wider than the margins by which they elected President Trump in 2016.

Further, the poll revealed that likely voters across these districts dislike their members of Congress after they find out that their representative voted for impeachment.

Fifty-three percent of Rep. Brindisi’s constituents’ impression of him become less favorable after they learn he voted for impeachment. In contrast, only 34 percent have a more favorable opinion of the congressman after his vote for impeachment. Forty-seven percent of Rep. Cunningham’s constituency has a more negative impression of him after he backed impeachment, compared to 38 percent who have a more favorable view of the South Carolina Democrat. Fifty-two percent of New Mexico’s second congressional district voters have a less favorable view of Rep. Torres Small after learning she voted for impeachment, while only 36 percent of her constituents viewed her in a more positive light after she supported impeachment.

The poll also showed that a majority of voters in the districts “agreed that Democrats should let the voters decide who should be the president during the 2020 election rather than through impeachment,” as Breitbart News noted.