Three of the four freshman congressional "Squad" members plan to endorse Sen. Bernie Sanders' candidacy for president, with Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez planning to appear with him at his "Bernie's Back" rally in Queens, New York, Saturday.
Cortez, D-N.Y., along with Reps. Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., and Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., reportedly will back Sanders, reports Fox News, while there is no indication that the other "Squad" member, Rep. Ayanna Pressley, D-Mass., is ready to pick a candidate at this time.
Fox has confirmed Ocasio-Cortez's plans for the Sanders rally and Omar's support for Sanders. Meanwhile, CNN is reporting that Tlaib is endorsing the Vermont independent as well. It is not clear if Omar and Tlaib plan to appear at his Queens rally, which has been set up to build excitement for the senator after his recent heart attack and stent procedure.
"Bernie is leading a working-class movement to defeat Donald Trump that transcends generation, ethnicity, and geography," Omar said in a statement posted on Twitter by the Sanders campaign and retweeted on Omar's page.
Omar also cited a bill she and Sanders introduced in June calling to cancel all student debt, with a price tag of $1.6 trillion, and praised his efforts to end foreign wars, notes The New York Times.
"I believe Bernie Sanders is the best candidate to take on Donald Trump in 2020," Omar said. Sanders, in his own statement, referred to her as a "leader of strength and courage."
Winning the three freshman congresswomen's endorsement is being seen as a crucial step in attracting young voters, with Sanders being the oldest candidate at 78. Former Vice President Joe Biden, 76, and Sen. Elizabeth Warren, 70, round out the top three Democrats in the polls.