Ocasio-Cortez floating progressive sub-caucus
Democratic New York congressional candidate Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a new darling of the left, is floating a “sub-caucus” for progressive members of the House who want to increase their influence by voting together.
Ocasio-Cortez promoted the idea during a podcast published Monday by Jacobin Magazine, a socialist news organization.
Though there is a 78-member Congressional Progressive Caucus, Ocasio-Cortez said it does not frequently vote as a unit. She said a smaller progressive bloc, made up of 10-30 members, could “generate real power” if it operated together.
“If you can even carve out a caucus of 10, 30 people, it does not take a lot, if you operate as a bloc vote, to really make strong demands on things,” she said.
{mosads}Ocasio-Cortez made waves last month when she won her district’s primary in an upset win over incumbent Rep. Joseph Crowley (N.Y.), the fourth-ranking House Democrat who many floated as a potential future Democratic Speaker of the House.
The 28-year-old former campaign organizer for Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) won on a progressive platform that included abolishing Immigration and Customs Enforcement and promoting universal health care.
Ocasio-Cortez, a democratic socialist, told the Jacobin that a progressive sub-caucus could be powerful in a Congress with a slim Democratic majority.
Ocasio-Cortez’s win has inspired insurgent liberal candidates across the U.S. ahead of November’s midterm elections, in which Democrats will be trying to retake the House.
Copyright 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Regular the hill posts