Democratic US presidential candidate Bernie Sanders has received the endorsement of US Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a rising star in the party.
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Ocasio-Cortez announced her backing of the 78-year-old US senator at a campaign rally in New York City, the first since Sanders suffered a heart attack two weeks ago and was hospitalised for treatment.
Sanders, who has faced lingering doubt about his ability to serve as president at his age, told supporters he is "more ready than ever" to be president.
"To put it bluntly, I am back," he said.
Sanders earned positive reviews for his performance on Wednesday in a televised debate among 12 Democrats. But Saturday was his first rally since the health scare, and he used it to bring Ocasio-Cortez into his orbit.
"I've been around politics a few years and it is hard to believe the degree to which in less than one year this woman, the youngest woman ever elected to Congress ... has transformed politics in America," Sanders said.
Ocasio-Cortez's popularity within the party has continued to rise since the 2018 mid-term elections when she snatched a seat in the US House of Representatives away from a long-serving Republican. She is one of a group of four liberal female non-white congresswomen known as the squad.
The 30-year-old's endorsement of Sanders is not surprising given that she volunteered for Sanders' 2016 presidential bid. Both politicians represent the left wing of the opposition party and are bent on taking on special interests and advocating for things like universal healthcare.
The endorsement by Ocasio-Cortez could give Sanders' campaign a boost following the health scare, which resulted in an operation to have two stents inserted in order to treat an artery blockage.
Sanders is trying to fend off a surge by Senator Elizabeth Warren, who, according to recent polls, has become one of the frontrunners in a crowded field of Democrats vying for their party's nomination to take on President Donald Trump in 2020.
The field includes former vice president Joe Biden, who is also one of the frontrunners, according to early polls.
Sanders lost the 2016 nomination to Hillary Clinton, who ultimately lost to Trump.
Australian Associated Press
