Ocasio-Cortez Rejects Pelosi’s Spin On Her Win: ‘It’s Not Just One District’

Start your day with TPM.
Sign up for the Morning Memo newsletter

New York 14th district Democratic candidate and almost-certain future Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez dismissed House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi’s (D-CA) downplaying of her stunning win Tuesday, saying that her victory is part of a “movement.”

“I think that we’re in the middle of a movement in this country,” Ocasio-Cortez said to CNN’s Erin Burnett. “That movement is going to come from the bottom up, that movement is going to come from voters. There are a lot of really exciting races with extremely similar dynamics as mine—it’s not just one district.”

When Burnett listed the ages of the septuagenarians currently leading the Democratic party, Ocasio-Cortez said that it’s time to elect “a new generation of people to Congress.”

“I think that some of the issues we even have today may have to do with some of the calcified structures and relationships,” she said. “And you know, in certain seats where it’s appropriate, I think that a new leaf could actually mean a lot of opportunity for the party and future.”

She also complimented Rep. Joe Crowley (D-NY), the incumbent whom she defeated Tuesday, saying that she has “profound respect” for him as a public servant and that his concession—playing “Born to Run” on his guitar in dedication to her—was “beautiful,” handled with “grace,” and made her “emotional.”

Pelosi told reporters Wednesday that the upset was a one-off and a product of an extremely liberal district. “They made a choice in one district. So let’s not get yourself carried away as an expert on demographics and the rest of that,”she said.

“The fact that in a very progressive district in New York it went more progressive than … well, Joe Crowley is a progressive, but she’s more left than Joe Crowley, is about that district. It is not to be viewed as something that stands for anything else,” she added.

Watch below:

Latest Livewire

Notable Replies

  1. A young woman of color wins a Congressional nomination. Pelosi reacts defensively, with less than enthusiastic plaudits and absolutely zero comments she’d welcome more of the same.

    Tepid support of a woman. Check.
    Tepid support of a minority. Check.
    Tepid support of fresh policy thoughts independent of the status quo. Check.
    Bemoaning the loss of an old guard politician. Check.

    Thanks, Nancy, for leading from the rear and the 1970s.

  2. Its a good win for Ocasio-Cortez and it sounds like she’s a great candidate but I see Pelosi’s point: the makeup of the district was prime for her. One size district does not fit all. Someone like Steve King would not be able to win there.

    Now if you want to talk about why she won and not Cowley, that’s a whole different story.

    Not sure why media is trying to stir the pot here though. They must have found a new shiny.

  3. I’m delighted this young woman won her race but she doesn’t know squat about being a congressperson yet. Throwing out all of the experienced war horses is a bad idea.

  4. Avatar for jtx jtx says:

    She is part of the problem. The old guard must give way.

  5. Once they’ve trained the newbies perhaps.

Continue the discussion at forums.talkingpointsmemo.com

89 more replies

Participants

Avatar for system1 Avatar for valgalky23 Avatar for cat Avatar for pluckyinky Avatar for richardinjax Avatar for littlegirlblue Avatar for cervantes Avatar for steviedee111 Avatar for trumpdog Avatar for eduardoinohio Avatar for musgrove Avatar for keninmn Avatar for mrf Avatar for dddinah Avatar for thunderclapnewman Avatar for jonney_5 Avatar for brewhousebob Avatar for tsp Avatar for jtx Avatar for ljb860 Avatar for jacksonhts Avatar for jmacaz Avatar for moderately Avatar for cantonjester

Continue Discussion
Masthead Masthead
Founder & Editor-in-Chief:
Executive Editor:
Managing Editor:
Deputy Editor:
Editor at Large:
General Counsel:
Publisher:
Head of Product:
Director of Technology:
Associate Publisher:
Front End Developer:
Senior Designer: