AOC Says Biden’s Candidacy “Does Not Particularly Animate” Her

First off, let’s not jump the gun: Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) has not endorsed anyone for the Democratic candidacy yet. She’s already said that she won’t do so until after the New York primary, but that didn’t stop Yahoo News podcast Skullduggery from throwing lightning round questions at her in the hopes that she’d betray her possible preferences.

Of course, this was never going to work with someone as sharp as AOC, who answered the question about whom she favored for Democratic presidential ticket with, “I truly do not have one yet.”

However, that didn’t keep her from voicing her opinions on the various candidates. Ocasio-Cortez, who previously served as an organizer for Bernie Sanders’ 2016 run, said she was “very supportive” of the Vermont senator’s campaign. She also commended Sen. Elizabeth Warren’s (D-Mass.) efforts so far as “remarkable.” In the end, the 29-year-old said, “I will support whoever the Democratic nominee is.”

That statement doesn’t mean all the candidates are equal in AOC’s eyes, though. When Joe Biden was brought up, the Bronx native explained that his candidacy “does not particularly animate me right now.” She noted that while she understands the emotions driving people to support Biden, namely the desire to return to the good ol’ Obama days (note: they were not that great, anything just looks appealing in comparison to 2019 politics), “I don’t want to go back. I want to go forward.”

Some of you may be wondering, why in the hell do we care what a freshman representative thinks? Well, first off, Ocasio-Cortez has the cool factor that could prove advantageous to whomever she endorses, especially if they’re someone like Warren who, for all their substance, isn’t bringing in the numbers they need. An AOC endorsement also carries weight when it comes to actual progressive cred, as she has shown an urgency during her first few months in office that few other politicians have in the face of impending social and environmental disasters. Now that’s what animates us.