Obama Looks To Make His Mark on 2020 Elections with 118 Endorsements - But Skips a Notable Name
Former President Barack Obama made his first round of endorsements on Monday and progressive Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York did not make the list.
“I’m proud to endorse this diverse and hopeful collection of thoughtful, empathetic, and highly qualified Democrats. Together, these candidates will help us redeem our country’s promise by sticking up for working class people, restoring fairness and opportunity to our system, and fighting for the good of all Americans — not just those at the top,” Obama wrote on Medium.
“They make me optimistic not just about our party’s chances in November, but about our country’s future long after that. So if you’re in one of their districts or states, make sure you vote for them this fall. And if you can, vote early — by mail or in person,” he posted.
Obama endorsed 118 candidates in 17 states. He office said another round of endorsements will follow, Fox News reported.
In 2018, when Obama first named the Democrats he supported, Ocasio-Cortez was not mentioned.
Later that year, Ocasio-Cortez defeated House Democratic Caucus Chairman Joe Crowley in the Democratic primary in New York’s 14th Congressional District. Eventually, the former president supported Ocasio-Cortez in his second wave of endorsements, according to The Hill.
Twitter users noticed that Ocasio-Cortez was once again not a first-round pick.
Headline: Obama list endorsed candidates, skips AOC! Haha, even bartenders get dissed by the Chosen One!
— Ron Milner (@RonMilnerBoodle) August 3, 2020
No AOC? The realization that Obama was not nearly as progressive as he said he would be gets more clear by the day https://t.co/TP5f2GfZKD
— Nate (@CPVDAR23) August 3, 2020
This isn’t surprising in the least. Obama is an elitist. AOC is many things, but one of them is that she is an enemy to elitists. https://t.co/kUpsuz8Q10
— omfaye? The Book Nest, graphic designer (@perched_soul) August 3, 2020
On the website of commentator Dan Bongino, Matt Palumbo noted that “It’s somewhat refreshing that for all crazy as the Democrat Party has become, Obama is at least willing to draw the line somewhere. For now.”
Democratic Rep. Max Rose of New York, who was endorsed by the former president, had lashed out at Ocasio-Cortez’s recent failed effort to limit online military recruitment.
“This is incredibly insulting as it perpetuates the limousine liberal trope that soldiers are idiots who only get duped into enlisting,” Rose told the New York Post.
Obama also endorsed first-time progressive candidate Jamaal Bowman, who defeated longtime Rep. Eliot Engel in the Democratic primary in New York’s 16th Congressional District.
Bowman said he would take on the “system” if elected to Congress in the fall.
“So tonight as we celebrate, we don’t just celebrate me as an individual, we celebrate this movement, a movement designed to push back against a system that’s literally killing us. It’s killing black and brown bodies disproportionately, but it’s killing all of us,” he said at a campaign speech, according to The Hill.
“The results show that this district is demanding change. This is what this district has been waiting for, this is what this country has been waiting for, and we are all here now together. So I am excited, I am happy, I am fired up,” he went on.
“I cannot wait to get to Congress and cause problems for the people in there who have been maintaining a status quo that is literally killing our children.”
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