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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.