- Democratic rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez sparred with former Ohio Gov. John Kasich, a Republican, before both were considered to speak at the Democratic National Convention.
- Kasich told BuzzFeed News Ocasio-Cortez does not represent the Democratic Party and that her voice is being exaggerated by the media.
- Ocasio-Cortez hit back at Kasich on Monday in a set of tweets, saying that while she hopes Kasich will convince other Republicans to vote for Joe Biden, the former governor is “an anti-election extremist” and “not a friend to workers. “
- Visit the Business Insider website for more stories.
Shortly before both were considered to be speaking at the Democratic National Convention, the Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez John Kasich “an anti-election extremist” in response to an interview in which the former Republican governor of Ohio criticized the congresswoman.
Kasich, who marries the idea of a primary challenge in 2020 against Trump, told BuzzFeed News in a story published Monday that Ocasio-Cortez does not represent the Democratic Party and that her voice is exaggerated by the media.
“People on the extreme side, whether they’re left or right, are getting a lot of publicity defining their party,” said Kasich, who received a prime-time speaking slot during Monday night’s events. “You know, I listen all the time to people who make these statements, and just because AOC gets a lot of publicity, it does not mean that it represents the Democratic Party.
The former Tea Party Republican said he agreed to speak at the convention after the Biden campaign asked him because “my Republican onslaught is exacerbated by my concerns about the direction of the country.”
Business Insider previously reported that Ocasio-Cortez would have just 60 seconds to speak at the convention on Tuesday night. Many progressives are frustrated that a conservative like Kasich and many less-influential moderate Democrats will get more face time at Democratic events than the uber-famous New Yorker will.
Ocasio-Cortez hit back at Kasich on Monday in a set of tweets, saying that while she hopes Kasich will convince other Republicans to vote for Biden, the former governor is “an anti-election extremist” and “not a friend to workers. ”
“It’s great that Kasich is awake and has realized the importance of supporting a Biden-Harris ticket. I hope he passes on to GOP voters,” she said. tweeted. “Yet it also tells me that one Republican who fights for women’s rights is not allowed to say who is or is not representative of the Dem Party.”
She added in another post, “We can build bridges and not lose sight of our values. It is important to remember that Kasich is an anti-choice extremist. He will 100% (and has) signed up on our reproductive rights. the moment he has the opportunity to do so. He is not a friend to workers. “
