The Democratic party is keen on showing a united front as the elections draw closer. This becomes more evident as former vice president Joe Biden and Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders recently announced who will be part of their joint task forces.
Politico reports that Biden and Sanders have appointed several officials to become chairpersons and members of their united task forces, further highlighting their efforts to call for Democratic party unity. The two have previously pledged to form groups that will help advise the Biden campaign in several areas as a way to help shape the party’s platform by the November elections. Their groups will focus on key issues such as climate change, criminal justice reform, immigration, economy, health care, and education.
Among the notable members of the task forces is progressive New York Congresswoman Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez also known as AOC. Ocasio-Cortez backed Sanders and has expressed skepticism towards Biden’s stances on certain policies. She previously said she would like for the former vice president to pursue a more liberal stance in these aspects. She will become one of the co-chairs alongside Biden’s longtime friend and former Secretary of State John Kerry.
Think tank Demos director of Legal Strategies Chiraag Bains will also be serving as chairperson, as well as former Senate staff member and Sociology professor Dr. Heather Gautney, National Immigration Law Center executive director Marielena Hincapie, former U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy, Association of Flight Attendants-CWA president Sara Nelson. Several members of Congress are also set to co-chair the unity task force; Bobby Scott of Virginia, Karen Bass and Lucille Roybal-Allard of California, Marcia Fudge of Ohio, and Pramila Jayapal of Washington.
In related news, although Biden is the presumptive nominee, he has yet to secure the nomination through the number of pledged delegates he has. Following the primary in Nebraska, the former vice president gained 20 delegates, bringing his total up to 1,444. Biden needs to have 1,991 delegates in order to become the official Democratic nominee.
On the Republican side of the primaries, President Donald Trump won the presidential primary, and Senator Ben Sasse also won the Senate seat.