Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez refused to rule out challenging Sen. Chuck Schumer for his New York Senate seat during a CNN town hall Wednesday, where she was mocked for making a brutal gaffe.
Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) was joined by Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) at the forum, which focused on the ongoing government shutdown, and both lawmakers bristled at moderator Kaitlin Collins’ question about whether Schumer (D-NY) “should not be worried” about a potential primary challenge.
“ I, mean – no,” the far-left congresswoman answered, visibly agitated by the question and struggling to find the proper words to respond. “I don’t think this is about anything.”
“Let me jump in on this one,” Sanders interjected. “We have a country that is falling apart!”
Ocasio-Cortez, while laughing hysterically, then jumped back in: “This is what we’re talking about! This is what we’re talking about!”
“We have a housing crisis, a healthcare crisis, an education crisis, massive income and wealth inequality, a corrupt campaign finance system and the media says, ‘Are you gonna run? What are you gonna run for?’ Nobody cares!” Sanders raged.
“Nobody cares!” Ocasio-Cortez chimed in, parroting the socialist senator.
Sanders continued, “Why do we have oligarchs on top who have more and more power every day? Let’s talk about that issue, not her own political future. She’ll decide that.”
Immediately before Collins’ question about challenging Schumer, Ocasio-Cortez fumed that she is “sick of talking about these horse races” and “sick of leaders who only want to spend their time talking about that instead of talking about real issues that affect our lives.”
The congresswoman then mixed up her gases with liquids.
“Instead of talking about healthcare; Instead of talking about wages; Instead of talking about having air that is drinkable – I mean, air that is breathable and water that is drinkable,” she said.
A smiling Sanders appeared amused by the gaffe.
The White House was less kind.
“This is who Dems sent out to explain why they shut the govt down,” White House Deputy Press Secretary Abigail Jackson wrote on X.
The government has been in a partial shutdown since Oct. 1, and most Democratic senators have repeatedly refused to vote for a short-term funding bill that would reopen the government.
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