Ayanna Pressley Breaks From Other Squad Members and Endorses a Different 2020 Democrat

Beth Baumann | November 06, 2019 1:02 PM

Rep. Ayanna Pressley (D-MA), one of the four members of the progressive "Squad" – consisting of Pressley, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), Ilhan Omar (D-MN) and Rashida Tlaib (D-MI) – broke from the others and endorsed Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) for president.

"The American people deserve to be represented by elected officials who see them, who listen to them, and who fight for them," Pressley said in the campaign announcement video.

The freshman Congresswoman said she has seen Warren in "small church basements and packed in gymnasiums and she is consistent."

According to Pressley, Warren's focus has always been about the American people.

"You've all heard about the senator's plan, but here's the thing – the plans are about power: who has it, who refuses to let it go and who deserves more of it," she said. "For Elizabeth and for me, the power belongs in the hands of the people."

"That's why she's fighting for fundamental change that restores power to those who've been left behind and centers those who've never had access to it in the first place," Pressley explained.

Both Ocasio-Cortez and Omar have endorsed Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT). Tlaib has yet to make an endorsement.

It's an interesting shift to see one of the four progressive members break from the others. Warren and Sanders own the very progressive wing of the Democratic Party. They're battling each other for the same voters.

You would think the Squad would have came together and decided, collectively, on one 2020 Democrat that they would all throw their support behind. These freshman members are, arguably, some of the most influential people in progressive politics. A presidential candidate receiving their support can make a huge difference. It can ignite grassroots activists to knock on doors and make phone calls. These endorsements are a call to arms for those who are willing to do the footwork during the 2020 election.

This endorsement divides the most active members of the Democratic Party's base – which is good news for conservatives. It shows the chaos currently taking place in the Democratic Party and the clear lack of unification amongst progressives. And that's not even talking about the even further divide between progressives and moderate Democrats.