Bernie Sanders Backs US House Hopefuls Jonathan Jackson and Delia Ramirez

U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders rallied with Jonathan Jackson and Delia Ramirez, a pair of progressive congressional candidates, in Chicago on Saturday.

"We desperately need more leaders in the Congress who understand the need to stand up and fight against the corporate greed that is running rampant in this country."

"We desperately need more leaders in the Congress who understand the need to stand up and fight against the corporate greed that is running rampant in this country," said Sanders (I-Vt.), arguing that Jackson and Ramirez "are those leaders."

"I was proud to have Jonathan Jackson as my state co-chair in 2020 and I'm proud to endorse Jonathan Jackson for Illinois' 1st Congressional District," the two-time presidential candidate previously said in a statement. "He has long been a fighter for working people and he will be a champion for Medicare for All and a Green New Deal in the Congress."

Jackson--the son of the Rev. Jesse Jackson--is among several Democrats running in a district that has been represented for decades by retiring Democratic Congressman Bobby Rush.

In Sanders' endorsement of Ramirez, a Democratic candidate for the state's 3rd Congressional District, he highlighted her work in the Illinois House of Representatives.

"Ramirez has been a champion of working families in Illinois," he said. "As a state legislator, she has expanded Medicaid for all seniors regardless of legal status, has secured millions of dollars for affordable housing, and defended reproductive rights by codifying Roe v. Wade in Illinois."

As the Chicago Tribune reported Saturday:

Sanders told the crowd that Ramirez and Jackson both understand what is "profoundly wrong" in the nation and what needs to be addressed, such as affordable healthcare, a "livable wage more than 15 bucks an hour," tuition-free higher education, and working to ensure oil companies aren't allowed to absorb massive profits while motorists are forced to pay $5 to $6 per gallon for gas.

He said inflation, climate change, the war in Ukraine, and more have all created a "pivotal moment in American history."

"Now is the time to take on all those demagogues out there who are trying to divide working [families] based on the color of our skin or where we were born or our sexual orientation," he said. "Now is the time to stand together."

"Chicago now has the opportunity to send two great, progressive fighters to Washington in Delia and in Jonathan," Sanders said. "Let's make sure that happens."

The newspaper noted that Democratic Congressman Jesus "Chuy" Garcia, who represents Illinois' 4th District, has also endorsed both candidates and spoke at the rally on Saturday.

"As we build our muscle and our power in Congress, that's how we redefine who will run this country," he said. "It won't be the billionaires. It won't be the corporations. It will be the working people and young people and students and our future intellectuals. That's who will run this country."

Early voting is already underway in Illinois for the primary on June 28.

The rally capped off Sanders' short tour of the Midwest, which included a rally against corproate greed along with a speech at a labor conference in Illinois as well as meeting with striking union workers in Racine, Wisconsin, and Burlington, Iowa.