AOC lashes out at her party after Republicans shock with election performance in New York



Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) is demanding accountability among her own after Republicans made significant gains across the Empire State on Election Day.

What did AOC say?

Reacting to Election Day results, Ocasio-Cortez demanded that Jay Jacobs, the New York State Democratic Party president, resign from his position.

"NYS Dem party leadership, which was gutted under [former Gov. Andrew] Cuomo, stuffed with lobbyists, works to boost GOP, and failed to pass a basic state ballot measure to protect NY redistricting, must be accountable," Ocasio-Cortez said.

"I called for Jay Jacob’s resignation a year ago and I still hold that position," she added.

\u201cNYS Dem party leadership, which was gutted under Cuomo, stuffed with lobbyists, works to boost GOP, and failed to pass a basic state ballot measure to protect NY redistricting, must be accountable.\n\nI called for Jay Jacob\u2019s resignation a year ago and I still hold that position.\u201d
— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez) 1668005582

To say that Democrats underperformed in New York is an understatement.

Election data shows that Republicans performed better in every single county in New York compared to their 2020 results. In fact, Republican Lee Zeldin, who challenged Gov. Kathy Hochul (D), completely flipped eight New York counties from blue to red.

Because of the poor performance, Ocasio-Cortez believes her party's leaders must be held accountable.

"Last night’s NY underperformance is a testament to years of prioritizing calcified machine politics and favoring over performance, strategy, & organizing," she said. "To win from here, Jacobs must go and we must recenter the party to better value community leadership and small-d democracy."

What is the background?

This is not the first time Ocasio-Cortez has called for Jacobs to step down.

Last year, Jacobs was accused of comparing India Walton — a black woman who ran for mayor of Buffalo — to former Ku Klux Klan leader David Duke. The backlash against Jacobs included Ocasio-Cortez demanding his resignation.

"Jay Jacobs absolutely should resign over his disgusting comments comparing a Black single mother who won a historic election to David Duke," Ocasio-Cortez said at the time.

"As a federally elected official in the NY Dem party, I have 0 confidence in Jay Jacobs’ ability to lead an NY Dem party that is inclusive & respectful of all," she added. "This is just his latest incident. Jacobs is a toxic presence in the party and his continued post as Chair is shameful."

New York State Democratic Party Chairman calls for Gov. Cuomo to resign



New York State Democratic Party Chairman Jay Jacobs issued a statement on Wednesday calling for New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo to resign, adding yet another voice to an already substantial chorus of Democrats calling for Cuomo's resignation in light of a report released Tuesday which concluded that the Democratic governor sexually harassed multiple women.

"The independent investigation has concluded that Governor Andrew Cuomo sexually harassed multiple women and in doing so violated federal and state law," state Attorney General Letitia James said Tuesday at a press conference. "Specifically, the investigation found that Governor Andrew Cuomo sexually harassed current and former New York State employees by engaging in unwelcome and nonconsensual touching and making numerous offensive comments of a suggestive and sexual nature that created a hostile work environment for women."

Cuomo, who has served as the governor of the Empire State since 2011, said in a video released Tuesday that he "never touched anyone inappropriately or made inappropriate sexual advances."

While Jacobs said that the governor should resign, he also said that New York has benefitted from having Cuomo as its governor.

"The facts presented make clear that there is a preponderance of evidence of both a toxic workplace and actual sexual harassment. I agree with the Attorney General. I believe the women. I believe the allegations. I cannot speak to the Governor's motivations," Jacobs said. "What I can say is that the Governor has lost his ability to govern, both practically and morally. The Party and this State will not be well served by a long, protracted removal process designed only to delay what is now, clearly, inevitable.

"Let me be clear: Our State and its citizens are better off having had Andrew Cuomo as our Governor. It is my hope that the legacy of the progressive change he brought to our people and the renewal of infrastructure he brought to our State will outshine the darkness of this sorry episode. And so, it is with sadness and a measure of regret that I must ask the Governor to resign his office and allow the important work of the State - work that he did so much to advance – to continue."

President Biden on Tuesday expressed the view that the governor should resign. Four Democratic governors issued a joint statement saying that Cuomo should step down. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and other Democratic lawmakers have also called for the governor to resign.

The Associated Press has reported that more than half of the the state's Assembly members support starting impeachment proceedings against the governor if he does not step down.

Top New York Democrat fires warning shot at Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez over rumors she will run for Senate



Just days after the 2020 election, Democrats operatives began suggesting that Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) should challenge Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer in the 2022 Democratic primary.

However, a top New York Democrat is already warning Ocasio-Cortez from launching such a challenge.

What are the details?

Jay Jacobs, chairman of the New York State Democratic Committee, told the New York Post on Saturday that Ocasio-Cortez should slam the brakes on any idea of challenging Schumer for his seat.

"I think it would be a primary driven by ambition more than by need," Jacobs told the Post.

In fact, Jacobs predicted that Ocasio-Cortez would "absolutely" lose a head-to-head battle against Schumer.

"Chuck Schumer has been a progressive force in the state for decades," he explained. "She has a constituency that admires her and supports her, and they're in her community, and I think it would be a loss for them if she were to do that."

What has AOC said?

When asked about her political aspirations in October, Ocasio-Cortez told Vanity Fair that she does not plan to remain in the House.

"I don't know if I'm really going to be staying in the House forever," she said. "I don't see myself really staying where I'm at for the rest of my life."

Meanwhile, Ocasio-Cortez told The Intercept earlier in December that the Democratic Party needs new leadership in Congress, a direct shot at House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Schumer.

Pelosi has served in Congress for more than three decades, and Schumer has been in Congress for four decades this January. They have spent a combined three decades in Democratic congressional leadership.

Anything else?

While progressives would love to see Ocasio-Cortez advance their agenda in the Senate, the Democratic Party has become increasingly outspoken against Ocasio-Cortez's brand of far-left politics.

After the 2020 election, Rep. Abigail Spanberger (D-Va.), a moderate Democrat, blasted far-left politics, attributing the progressive agenda, which includes items like "defund the police," to Democrats' election losses.

"We need to be pretty clear," Spanberger reportedly said. "It was a failure. It was not a success. We lost incredible members of Congress."

"We have to commit to not saying the words 'defund the police' ever again," she said. "We need to not ever use the words socialist or socialism ever again."

"If we run this race again we will get f***ing torn apart again in 2022," Spanberger predicted.

House Majority Whip Jim Clyburn (D-S.C.) agreed, saying that if Democrats "are going to run on Medicare for All, defund the police, socialized medicine, we're not going to win" future elections.

Meanwhile, House Democrats recently snubbed Ocasio-Cortez from a seat on the prized House Energy and Commerce Committee, which would have allowed her to promote her health care and climate policy goals. Democrats chose Rep. Kathleen Rice (D-N.Y.), a moderate Democrat, for the seat instead.