Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez called on voters to evaluate political candidates based on their present platform rather than left-wing policies championed in 2020, framing past progressive stances as products of an unusual period in American politics.
Speaking Sunday during an interview on ABC’s “This Week,” the New York Democrat addressed previous positions taken by democratic socialists during the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, including calls to defund police departments.
“Woke 1 was crazy,” Ocasio-Cortez said, quoting a fellow politician. “And I think that what’s important is that we have to assess what a candidate is saying now.”
While describing policy discussions at the onset of the pandemic as “fruitful” given national circumstances at the time, Ocasio-Cortez noted that “rhetoric in that time is not rhetoric that we would use today.”
The congresswoman’s remarks come as the Democratic Party continues to navigate internal debates over its ideological identity and messaging ahead of upcoming electoral cycles.
During the 2024 presidential campaign, Democratic nominee Kamala Harris faced sustained criticism from Republicans over positions she took during her 2020 primary run, including support for taxpayer-funded gender transition surgeries for federal inmates and the decriminalization of border crossings.
Centrist figures within the Democratic Party expressed mixed reactions to Ocasio-Cortez’s comments, pointing out that mainstream leaders had pushed back against far-left proposals in real time.
Former President Joe Biden won the 2020 Democratic nomination and presidency while explicitly rejecting calls to defund the police.
The exchange highlights an ongoing push by moderate groups to curb the influence of the party’s left wing. Third Way recently announced a $15 million campaign targeting democratic socialist candidates in primary and general election races nationwide.
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