Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., said the Democratic Party is going through “a time of renewal” and is coming together ahead of the November midterms. She made the comments during an interview with ABC News’ This Week co-anchor Jonathan Karl.
Ocasio-Cortez said the party’s main focus should be working-class Americans. “We understand that our priority is the working class of this country, and we have to make the case that we’re here to make people’s lives better,” she told Karl. She added that Republicans are “jacking up prices, making housing impossible to afford,” while Democrats are focused on issues like healthcare and grocery bills.
The interview came days after progressive candidate Dr. Abdul El-Sayed beat centrist Rep. Haley Stevens in Michigan’s Senate primary. Ocasio-Cortez had endorsed El-Sayed in July, campaigned with him, and appeared in his ads. El-Sayed won with less than 50% of the vote, despite millions of dollars spent by super PACs that tried to paint him as too extreme.
AOC declines to fully back past statements from Wisconsin candidate Francesca Hong
During the interview, Karl asked Ocasio-Cortez about past statements made by Wisconsin gubernatorial candidate Francesca Hong, a fellow democratic socialist who had previously called for abolishing prisons and police.
Ocasio-Cortez said she has not endorsed Hong in that race and said, “all politics are local.” She noted that Hong has since clarified some of her past positions. Hong has also faced backlash over a past comment about canceling Thanksgiving, which led Sen. Bernie Sanders to step back from endorsing her ahead of the Wisconsin race.
Ocasio-Cortez also referred to a phrase used by New York City Council Member Chi Ossé to describe how some past left-wing positions are viewed today. She quoted him directly, saying, “‘Woke 1 was crazy.'”
Karl also asked Ocasio-Cortez whether the political left went too far after 2020. She called the pandemic period a “distinct period” but said the policy debates from that time were “fruitful.” She explained, “The doors were really open in trying to entertain any and every policy that was going to get us to a better place.”
She added that the way people talked about issues back then is different from how they talk about them now, and said she is glad candidates today have the chance to explain their own views to voters.
Ocasio-Cortez was also asked about growing concern from moderate Democrats over democratic socialist candidates defeating longtime incumbents in safe Democratic districts, from New York to Colorado.
After a New York primary, centrist Democrats led by Reps. Tom Suozzi and Adam Gray signed a letter stating, “We are capitalist, not socialist.” The Democratic group Third Way also pledged $15 million to push back against democratic socialism ahead of the 2028 elections, calling it a “mortal danger.”
Responding to that criticism, Ocasio-Cortez said, “I don’t think that we should be worried about what somebody somewhere believes. I think we should be focused on what our plan to improve people’s lives are.”
Karl also asked about Twitch streamer Hasan Piker, who endorsed and campaigned for El-Sayed but has faced criticism over past controversial comments. Ocasio-Cortez did not directly answer whether Piker should keep a role in the progressive movement.
Instead, she described the question as part of a larger debate among party strategists. She argued that Democrats cannot afford to avoid certain platforms if they want to win back young voters, a group she said the party lost in the last election.
She pointed to criticism directed at the same political consultants who now raise concerns. “Much hay was made about the fact that we lost young men in the last election, and many of the same consultants that are wringing their hands today were the same ones talking about how we need to go on Joe Rogan and we need to be not, not so, you know, willing to engage in cancel culture,” she said.
Ocasio-Cortez also spoke about a “generational tidal wave” of younger voters getting involved in politics. “Millennials are not punk kids anymore,” she said. “We’re grown adults with mortgages and kids, and that generation is starting to be decisive at the polls, and there is anger at being ignored, sidelined, having our economic futures mortgaged by the generations that came before us on everything from the economy to climate, and we’re taking the reins.”
On the topic of socialism, Ocasio-Cortez, who is a member of the New York City Democratic Socialists of America chapter, was asked to explain the difference between socialism and communism. She said, “One prevailing one is democracy, and I believe that democratic socialists are fundamentally pro-democracy, and we believe in the ballot box. We believe in respecting the outcomes of elections and governing democratically.”
When Karl brought up specific positions from the national DSA platform, including defunding the Department of Defense, abolishing police and prisons, and abolishing the Senate, Ocasio-Cortez said she does not agree with those positions. “I think that people are less interested in these academic debates, and they’re more interested in how we’re going to bring their bills down and make sure that they can afford to see a doctor,” she said.
Karl also asked about a New Hampshire poll that showed Ocasio-Cortez as the top choice among Democrats, and whether she would consider running for president. This follows another recent survey ranking her as a top 2028 contender among possible Democratic nominees.
She did not rule out a run. “I haven’t ruled out the possibility, and I’m very humbled to the tremendous amount of support out there,” she said, adding that her current focus is on the midterms rather than “our individual aspirations or plans.” Asked if a Senate run against Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer was possible, she gave a similarly open response: “I think that anything is possible at this juncture.”
Published: Aug 10, 2026 07:30 am