Three New York Democrats who were floated as possible candidates to challenge Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez in the next primary election said this week they have no plans to take that step.
Rumors of a possible challenger to Ocasio-Cortez, the socialist social media darling, surfaced this week after a report that said one sitting New York Democrat in the House proposed an effort to replace her. Since then, three possible challengers were floated in the Daily Caller, but all three said they weren’t interested.
One was Jimmy Van Bramer, a member of the New York City Council, who said he backs Ocasio-Cortez.
“As a Councilperson in @AOC’s district I’ve never waited for a seat & I’m not waiting for this one. AOC had the courage to run & challenge. She won. I support her efforts to change how this work is done in #Queens & beyond,” he said.
“This whole thing is crazy. I’m kind of loving having @AOC as my Congressmember! I’m not taking her on. I’m backing her up!” he added.
Julia Salazar, a state senator who was also named as a possible contender, said she was out.
“I would never primary @AOC, even if I lived in her district (which I do not),” she tweeted Tuesday. “I have no intentions of ever running for Congress.”
The Daily Caller is trash.
1. I would never primary @AOC, even if I lived in her district (which I do not).
2. I have no intentions of ever running for Congress.
3. Who on earth calls Jimmy Van Bramer “James?” https://t.co/lX1VW2Whhx
— Julia Salazar (@JuliaCarmel__) January 29, 2019
A third possible candidate, Catalina Cruz, also backed up the incumbent Democrat and said anyone floating her to run for the seat is just “gossiping.”
Ocasio-Cortez also earned support from a pair of New York Democratic colleagues in Congress Wednesday, both of whom said they have not heard any chatter about a possible primary bid.
“We are pretty close and we stick up for each other,” said Rep. Grace Meng, D-N.Y., who represents a neighboring district in Queens, speaking of the New York delegation. “No one has talked to me about running a primary challenge against her.”
“We all want to support each other. We work together. The delegation is pretty close,” said Meng, who also serves as a vice chairwoman at the Democratic National Committee, noting that she backs Ocasio-Cortez. “There’s been no substantive conversation that has occurred [about a primary challenger].”
Rep. Yvette Clarke, D-N.Y., of nearby Brooklyn, echoed Meng’s remarks.
“We’re a pretty tight delegation,” Clarke said, adding that she would also back Ocasio-Cortez. “I don’t know where that speculation is coming from.”
Ocasio-Cortez took the news in stride on Tuesday, arguing that the lawmaker who floated a challenge against her from someone who had bided their time was part of the “broken mentality” in politics.
“That broken mentality, that public office is something you wait in line for, instead of earning through hard organizing, is exactly what voters want to change,” she tweeted. “Shows you how disconnected some folks here are.”
“You’ve got councilpeople who’ve been waiting 20 yrs for that seat.”
That broken mentality, that public office is something you wait in line for, instead of earning through hard organizing, is exactly what voters want to change.
Shows you how disconnected some folks here are. https://t.co/TMWYkboB7i
— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) January 29, 2019
She then moved to fundraise off of the news.
