Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez says it would not be “pragmatic” for Democrats to choose former vice president Joe Biden as their 2020 presidential nominee.
“I think he’s not a pragmatic choice,” the Bronx progressive said in an interview released Wednesday by Vogue. “If you pick the perfect candidate like Joe Biden to win that guy in the diner, the cost will make you lose because you will depress turnout as well. And that’s exactly what happened [in] 2016. We picked the logically fitting candidate, but that candidate did not inspire the turnout that we needed.”
She punted on the question of which Democrat in the party’s large presidential field she would endorse, remarking that “we haven’t even had a debate yet.”
“You can be radical and you can be respectful — and I know that many people may think that that’s not cool,” she said.
Biden still leads his fellow contenders for the Democratic nomination by double digits in polling of the race. Senator Bernie Sanders is currently second, followed by Senator Elizabeth Warren in third.