ERIC?
♪
ERIC: AND IN THE RACE FOR THE
WHITE HOUSE, A HUGE RALLY
WELCOMED SENATOR BERNIE SANDERS
BACK TO THE CAMPAIGN TRAIL
TODAY, AND HE RETURNED WITH A
HIGH PROFILE ENDORSEMENT.
HE HELD THAT RALLY, THE FIRST
ONE SINCE SUFFERING THE HEART
ATTACK.
CONGRESSWOMAN ALEXANDRIA
OCASIO-CORTEZ NOW THROWING HER
SUPPORT BEHIND THE VERMONT
SENATOR IN HIS BID FOR THE WHITE
HOUSE.
ELLISON BARBER IS FROM THE SITE
OF THAT RALLY IN LONG ISLAND
CITY, NEW YORK, THE BOROUGH OF
QUEENS RIGHT NEXT TO WHERE THE
BROOKLYN SENATOR WAS BORN.
HI, ELLISON.
>> Reporter: HEY, ERIC.
YES, THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE SHOWED
UP TODAY TO WELCOME SENATOR
BERNIE SANDERS BACK TO THE
CAMPAIGN TRAIL, THOUGH MANY OF
HIS SUPPORTERS SAID THAT BERNIE
NEVER REALLY LEFT.
THEY ARGUE THAT HE SIMPLY TOOK A
PAUSE.
HE WALKED ONTO THE STAGE TO
AC/DC'S "BACK IN BLACK,"
THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE CHEERING.
THEY HAD A PERMIT FOR 20,000
PEOPLE, AND THEY EXCEEDED THAT.
THEY'RE ESTIMATING JUST UNDER
26,000 PEOPLE OUT HERE TODAY.
SENATOR SANDERS TALKED ABOUT HIS
KEY CAMPAIGN ISSUES, THINGS LIKE
HEALTH CARE, INCOME INEQUALITY,
WORKERS' RIGHTS, HOMELESSNESS
AND A TO PROPOSAL FOR AN
AFFORDABLE HOUSING PROGRAM.
HE WAS INTRODUCED BY A
PROGRESSIVE FAVORITE,
REPRESENTATIVE ALEXANDRIA
OCASIO-CORTEZ.
>> I HAVE GROWN TO APPRECIATE
THE ENORMOUS CONSISTENT AND
NONSTOP ADVOCACY OF SENATOR
BERNIE SANDERS.
[CHEERS AND APPLAUSE]
THE ONLY REASON THAT I HAD ANY
HOPE IN LAUNCHING A LONG-SHOT
CAMPAIGN FOR CONGRESS BECAUSE
BERNIE SANDERS PROVED THAT YOU
CAN RUN A GRASSROOTS CAMPAIGN.
>> Reporter: OCASIO-CORTEZ
FORMALLY INTRODUCED SENATOR
SANDERS, SHE REPORTEDLY CALLED
HIM AND TOLD HIM SHE WOULD
ENDORSE HIM WHEN HE WAS IN THE
HOSPITAL RECOVERING FROM HIS
HEART ATTACK.
SANDERS HINTED THAT ALEXANDRIA
OCASIO-CORTEZ COULD BE ON THE
CAMPAIGN TRAIL WITH HIM A LOT
MORE THAN JUST TODAY.
AFTER SANDERS HAD HIS HEART
ATTACK, HEALTH AND AGE BECAME A
TOPIC OF DISCUSSION ON THE
CAMPAIGN TRAIL.
HIS SUPPORTERS, THEY WEREN'T
FAZED BY ANY OF THAT, AND TODAY
WE SAW REALLY THE SAME SENATOR
SANDERS WE HAVE SEEN ON THE
CAMPAIGN TRAIL MANY TIMES
BEFORE.
HE WAS HIGH ENERGY, IS AND HE
SPOKE FROM THE SECOND HE WALKED
OUT TO STAGE UNTIL THE SECOND HE
LEFT, IT WAS A FULL HOUR.
HE SPOKE FOR NEARLY AN HOUR, NOT
SEEMING TO REALLY MISS A BEAT.
ERIC?
ERIC: ELLISON, IS THERE ANY
SENSE OF HOW HER ENDORSEMENT
WILL IMPACT THE CAMPAIGN?
SHE WAS A VOLUNTEER FOR SANDERS
IN 2016 AND HAD BEEN ON THE
FENCE, YOU KNOW, ALSO
CONSIDERING SENATOR ELIZABETH
WARREN BUT FINALLY, AS YOU SAID,
CAME DOWN WITH THE VERMONT
SENATOR.
>> Reporter: YEAH, RIGHT.
WELL, TIME WILL TELL.
OBVIOUSLY, CONGRESSWOMAN
OCASIO-CORTEZ HAS A REALLY BIG
FOLLOWING, PEOPLE WOULD WANT HER
ENDORSEMENT.
THERE'S BEEN A LOT OF TALK WHO
WOULD THE SO-CALLED SQUAD END UP
SUPPORTING, SENATOR WARREN OR
SENATOR SANDERS.
WE'VE SEEN SANDERS IN RECENT
DAYS TRYING TO MAKE MORE, REALLY
POINT OUT THE DIFFERENCES THAT
HE SEES BETWEEN HIMSELF AND
SENATOR WARREN, SAYING THAT,
HEY, WE ARE NOT THAT SIMILAR.
HE MADE THE COMMENT OF SAYING
THAT WARREN DESCRIBES HERSELF AS
A CAPITALIST TO HER BONES, HE IS
NOT.
WE'VE SEEN HIM MORE FORCEFULLY
TRY AND POINT OUT THOSE
DIFFERENCES.
THIS ENDORSEMENT SEEMS TO KIND
OF HELP BOLSTER HIS CAMPAIGN IN
THAT RED CARPET.
OCASIO-CORTEZ IS -- IN THAT
REGARD.
WE ALSO SAW REPRESENTATIVE I'LL
HAND ILHAN
OMAR COME OUT AND ENDORSE
SENATOR END SANDERS JUST A FEW
DAYS AGO, SO CERTAINLY A
MOMENTUM BOOST.
WHETHER OR NOT IT LEADS FURTHER
DOWN THE ROAD, TIME WILL TELL,
BUT FOR NOW IT'S A BIG DEAL FOR
THIS CAMPAIGN, ESPECIALLY ONE
THAT IS COMING BACK AFTER HAVING
A BIT OF A PAUSE IN REGARDS TO
THE SENATOR'S HEALTH.
ERIC: CERTAINLY ON THE CAMPAIGN
TRAIL, SHE JUST TWEETED OUT OUR
GREATEST HOPE IS A MULTIRACIAL
WORKING CLASS MOVEMENT IN THE
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA.