As Democrats struggle to find a cohesive message since the 2024 election, Sanders has stepped up his public activities.
Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) hosted a rally with Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) in Denver on March 21, in an effort to energize tens of thousands who had turned out to see the two left-leaning politicians.
Sanders, who is an independent that caucuses with Democrats, put his hand on Ocasio-Cortez’s shoulder and told the crowd of her backstory in which she helped her mother clean houses before becoming a bartender and finally a major political figure in the Democratic Party.
“She has become an inspiration to millions of young people,” Sanders said of Ocasio-Cortez, who often goes by the moniker, AOC.
The crowd began chanting, “AOC! AOC!”
Ocasio-Cortez, 35, is now in her fourth term in the House after ousting a top New York Democrat, Joe Crowley, in the 2018 election. Many of her supporters see her efforts as attempts to widen her appeal beyond her progressive roots, particularly after the Democratic Party lost control of both the White House and the Senate last year. Republicans have held the House since 2023.
Ocasio-Cortez hit the road with Sanders last week for his “Fighting Oligarchy” rallies in Nevada, Arizona, and Colorado, where she acknowledged those who disagree with her while trying to recast the divide in her party as not between moderates and progressives, but between those who are willing to go after President Donald Trump and those who remain more cautious.
“No matter who you voted for in the past, no matter if you know all the right words to say, no matter your race, religion, gender identity, or status,” Ocasio-Cortez told thousands in a rally at Arizona State University.
“No matter even if you disagree with me on a few things. If you are willing to fight for someone you don’t know, you are welcome here.”
As Democrats struggle to find a cohesive message since the 2024 election, Sanders has stepped up public activities, giving numerous media interviews, including recent appearances where he criticized Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) for voting to advance a continuing resolution budget package proposed by congressional Republicans and backed by Trump. Sanders ran for the party’s presidential nomination in 2016 and 2022.
A rally outside of Phoenix saw thousands crowding a plaza or watching from a parking garage after they could not get inside the arena.
Ocasio-Cortez’s speeches, some lasting roughly 25 minutes, included her criticisms of economic inequality that have long been a hallmark of her political campaigning, in addition to a suggestion that “we are not powerless in this moment.”
According to a January Gallup poll, roughly two-thirds of Democrats have a favorable opinion of the congresswoman, as opposed to 5 percent who view her unfavorably. However, among all adults in the broader public, roughly four in 10 have a negative view of her, with roughly three in 10 who hold a positive opinion.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.