A podcast episode featuring Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) took a turn as she began to criticize her own party’s leadership.
During an episode of the “Pod Save America” podcast released Tuesday, Ocasio-Cortez was asked how she convinces people on the campaign trail that the party understands their challenges and will fight for them when they do not see themselves reflected in the politicians.
She replied, “I’m not here to sell people on the idea that the leadership of the Democratic Party, which is overwhelmingly from one generation — almost uniformly from one generation — and overwhelmingly from a lopsided class perspective, is the same as me or you or anything else like that.”
Still, Ocasio-Cortez called the Republican Party “worse.”
Arguing party leadership is a “distinct conversation,” she added, “I think what actually matters more is — are you excited to vote for anybody on your ballot… And the more local you get, I actually think the more flexible and exciting your candidates can be.”
Watch her comments below:
Ocasio-Cortez is not the only member of Congress to suggest the Democratic Party needs new members, as IJR reported.
Rep. Elissa Slotkin (D-Mich.) told NBC News earlier this month, “We need new blood, period, across the Democratic Party in the House, the Senate and the White House.”
In an analysis published Tuesday, The Washington Post pointed out the average age of members of the House and Senate declined to roughly 50 in the early 1990s.
Since then, the average age has spiked to close to 60.
The Post explained Congress is “generally older than the population, certainly. But it is moving up in age because the population is moving up in age.”
The analysis acknowledged leaders are older because the United States is older.
However, “That also means that younger Americans — heavily Democratic — are less likely to see themselves in leadership and therefore to seek change,” as the Post reported.
