Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) is praising the unity in the Democratic Party around President-elect Joe Biden in the days leading up to the general election.
However, she says there is still tremendous division within the party, and she told The New York Times that after she perceived as a lack of support from members of her own party she considered not running for re-election.
Those divisions burst into the open last week after Republican candidates running for House seats dramatically overperformed expectations and are expected to pick up as many as ten seats despite being seen as the underdogs ahead of the election.
The shocking performance of Republican candidates led to a contentious phone call where some moderate Democratic lawmakers blamed progressive causes for their losses.
During an appearance on CNN’s “State of the Union” on Sunday, Ocasio-Cortez said, “I believe that we really need to come together and not allow Republican narratives to tear us apart.”
“As you mentioned, we have a slimmer Democratic majority. It’s going to be more important than ever for us to work together and not fight each other,” she added.
Ocasio-Cortez ripped Democratic lawmakers for “pointing fingers and telling each other what to do” before they have a better picture of what contributed to the losses.
“It’s responsible to pour gasoline on these already very delicate tensions in the party,” she added.
Watch the video below:
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on criticism from within the Democratic Party: "There are, at least in the House caucus, very deep divisions within the party and I believe that we need to really come together and not allow Republican narratives to tear us apart" #CNNSOTU pic.twitter.com/7AYH24xw3f
— State of the Union (@CNNSotu) November 8, 2020
She also noted that Democratic lawmakers who co-sponsored Medicare-for-all legislation won their re-election bids and argued, “The conversation is a little bit deeper than that … than just saying, ‘Anything progressive is toxic and a losing message.'”
While moderate Democrats pointed fingers at Ocasio-Cortez for their losses, she has steadfastly suggested that the progressive wing of the party is not responsible for the losses.
Every single swing-seat House Democrat who endorsed #MedicareForAll won re-election or is on track to win re-election.
— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) November 7, 2020
Every.?? Single.?? One.??
I saw party consultants take over a Congressional swing campaign operation this year and was it wasn’t good.
— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) November 7, 2020
The blind impulse to blame activists and the left both demoralizes a key constituency and distracts from asking real Qs & fixing serious operational issues.
Except the argument here isn’t ideological- are purple communities not on the internet? You can run a moderate message & not change it at all & my message still applies.
— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) November 8, 2020
Dems must run like it’s 2020, not like it’s 2005. That has nothing to do with ideology. It’s about capacity. https://t.co/XhGbzs9Cmo
After former Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.) argued the party had moved too far to the left, Ocasio-Cortez asked, “Why do we listen to people who lost elections as if they are experts in winning elections?”
“McCaskill tried her approach. She ran as a caravan-hysteria Dem [and] lost while grassroots organizers won progressive measures in MO. Her language here shows how she took her base for granted,” she added.
