New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez said Democrats should "acknowledge the upside" of voters uncommitted to re-electing President Joe Biden this November.
Throughout the 2024 primary season, Democratic voters have expressed frustration with President Joe Biden's support for Israel in his bid for re-election and have voted "uncommitted" in Democratic primaries.
The New York representative attempted to characterize the loss of Biden's support as positive for Democrats during a Monday night appearance on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.
“We need to acknowledge, actually, the upside of the ‘uncommitted’ movement, which is that these are folks that easily could have given way to cynicism and walked away from this process entirely,” Ocasio-Cortez said.
"What they're doing instead is using the primary to send a message and say, 'This is important to me' to the president," she continued, adding "uncommitted" voters were still willing to engage in the Democratic voting process and would likely flip for Biden in the general election.
“I do believe that many in the ‘uncommitted’ campaigns also know and understand the threat of a Donald Trump presidency,” Ocasio-Cortez continued. “The Democratic Party has always been a coalition party, and we have to bring everybody together every time."
The New York representative said a "lasting peace" was important to "uncommitted" voters and reiterated Biden's support would increase in the general election. Conversely, Ocasio-Cortez also noted there was an "enormous" operation boasting over $100 million to primary sitting members of Congress who have called for a ceasefire amidst the Israel-Hamas conflict.
"You have Jamaal Bowman here that has a primary challenge. Cori Bush has a primary challenge," she said of her Democratic colleagues. "I myself have a primary challenge. Just for saying that Palestinians deserve human rights and that they should be protected."
Ocasio-Cortez added there was a "complex political fabric" surrounding the conflict in the Middle East throughout the United States.
"Once people feel like their concerns have been seen, then we can start the process of coming together," she continued. "I think they’re using this process to be seen, and it’s best that we do that now than for folks to stay home in November.”
Despite expressing her own frustration with Biden, Ocasio-Cortez has indicated she will support his re-election efforts this November.
President Biden narrowly trails former President Donald Trump by .6 points, according to RealClearPolitics' latest average polling.
