Rep. Mike Lawler crowned “Squad” Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez the de facto leader of the Democratic Party while mocking other Dems for flailing in their efforts to helm the resistance to President Trump.
Speaking on a “Real Time with Bill Maher” panel, Lawler (R-NY) ridiculed Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer’s (D-NY) efforts to best Trump and predicted that Ocasio-Cortez would win a primary against him.
“Chuck Schumer has been in elected office for 50 years, 1974 he was first elected — 50 years [ago]. AOC will absolutely kick his ass in a primary,” Lawler told comedian Bill Maher.
“She is the leader of the Democratic Party in this moment, and will continue to be, I think, the biggest driver of where the party goes from a governmental policy standpoint, and that drives many of my colleagues crazy.”
Schumer first ascended to the New York State Assembly in 1975, then to the US House of Representatives six years later and finally to the Senate in 1999.
Lawler, who represents a very competitive district in southern New York, agreed with Democratic National Committee vice chair David Hogg that Dems need to start primarying some of their ineffective incumbents.
The New York Republican pointed to Schumer as an example of a Democrat he believes is ineffective while riffing about Hogg’s controversial crusade to target “asleep at the wheel” members of his party.
“She has tapped into the base of support within the Democratic Party, and you see the juxtaposition between her and Chuck Schumer, ‘I’m writing a strongly worded letter,’” Lawler added.
That’s a reference to Schumer’s announcement last month that he was writing a stern letter to Trump complaining about the administration’s freeze on funding for Harvard University, his alma mater.
Ocasio-Cortez declined to primary Schumer in 2022. But speculation has intensified that she may go after him in 2028 when he’s next up for reelection. Ocasio-Cortez would be eligible for the presidency in 2028 as well.
Murmurs about Ocasio-Cortez mounting a primary challenge intensified after Schumer drew ire from the progressive base in March by declining to block a GOP-led measure to avert a government shutdown.
Schumer argued that blocking the bill would’ve been a trap for Democrats and appeared to be concerned that there wasn’t a clear exit strategy. He has not said whether he will vie for another term.
Ocasio-Cortez has long been a darling among the hardcore progressive left. Over recent weeks, she has teamed up with Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) for a “Fighting the Oligarchy” tour across the country, further ginning up buzz about her political future.
Meanwhile, many of her constituents in Queens and the Bronx have begun complaining that she isn’t focused on them.
“This woman has done nothing for the community she was once again elected to serve,” Lauro Vazquez of Woodside, Queens, recently told The Post.
“Of course, it’s cancelled — too busy jet-setting around on private jets screaming about ‘oligarchs’ and setting up her bid for a POTUS run,” she added. “This woman has done nothing for the community she was once again elected to serve.”
The progressive star once held town halls in her district on a near-monthly basis. But now she’s doing them at a less frequent tempo, while mocking Republicans who are shying away from town hall and doing ones in their districts for them.
“She’s flying around on private jets, talking about the oligarchy, which is not really resonating with the regular guy – the person going shopping over here at the supermarket,” Republican City Council candidate Elmhurst’s Ramses Frias said, calling her an “absentee landlord.”
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