Kevin McCarthy Says AOC Could Crush Old Guard Dems and ‘Become the Leader of the Democratic Party’
Former Speaker Kevin McCarthy said Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) is poised to raise gobs of money and potentially overthrow the old guard of the Democratic Party.
Ocasio-Cortez and Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) have been traveling across the country for their Fight the Oligarchy tour. The progressive duo has drawn thousands to their rallies, and Ocasio-Cortez has raised nearly $10 million in three months.
McCarthy, who was a prolific fundraiser in his own right, appeared on Fox News on Friday night to weigh in on recent comments from David Hogg, the vice chairman of the Democratic National Committee. Hogg has pledged to spend millions to back primary challengers to unseat old Democratic lawmakers.
“Unheard of,” McCarthy reacted. “The DNC is supposed to unite the party, but what we’re watching live is a civil war inside the Democratic Party, and they’re fighting for new leadership. And this is what’s gonna happen. Remember, AOC did this exact same thing a couple years ago and the party tried to shut her down when she would primary other members in Congress. But she raised the most money of any member in Congress in the last quarter. She’s getting the biggest crowds.”
The former speaker went on to predict a showdown between Ocasio-Cortez and members of the old guard Democratic Party:
And this is what I predict. They’re gonna fight to see who becomes the leader of this party. Right now, it’s really AOC and Bernie Sanders. But this is what’s gonna happen. They’re gonna run against Joe Biden, Kamala Harris, Nancy Pelosi, [Chuck] Schumer, and Hakeem [Jeffries]. That will be a motivating factor.
They will raise more money running against Democrats than they will running against Republicans. And whoever comes out of that will become the leader of the Democratic Party.
Republicans gained some slack in their razor-thin majority in recent weeks after two septuagenarian Democrats died. One of those lawmakers succeeded a Democrat who died in office last year. At the beginning of the current Congress, Democratic lawmakers opted not to make Ocasio-Cortez the ranking member on the Oversight Committee, instead elevating a 74-year-old with esophageal cancer. Those developments come after former President Joe Biden withdrew from the presidential campaign after a disastrous debate performance raised even more concerns about his advanced age and cognitive decline.
Watch above via Fox News.
