Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., may have hurt her chances of a successful primary challenge against Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., when she was seen crying on the House floor after a vote to give Israel $1 billion to restore the missile interception system called Iron Dome, Fox News is reporting.
She had initially voted against the funding for the Iron Dome, but later changed her vote to "present." At the time, some had accused her of crying "crocodile tears," Fox News said.
She has not ruled out a primary bid against Schumer.
In the CNN special "Being ... AOC", Ocasio-Cortez was asked if she would challenge the New York senator.
"I’m not commenting on that," she said.
She expanded on her thoughts, saying that "the way that I really feel about this and the way that I really approach my politics and my political career is that I do not look at things and I do not set my course positionally."
Ocasio-Cortez, a leading member of the Democratic Party’s progressive wing, was also asked earlier this year the same question by Punchbowl News and left the option open then as well, saying she is "very much in a place where I’m trying to decide what is the most effective thing I can do to help our Congress, our [political] process, and our country actually address the issues of climate change, health care, wage inequality, etc."
But experts say the tears and vote on the Iron Dome may cost her support from New York’s Jewish voters.
Fox News pointed out that the Jewish Telegraphic Agency, which monitors Jewish voting patterns, noted the "vast majority of New York City’s Jews — like all New Yorkers — are registered Democrats."
"Balancing the preferences of New Yorkers as a whole means that there is little room for anti-Israel policy at the very least, with Schumer even siding with the Trump administration on moving the embassy to Jerusalem," said political analyst Jessica Tarlov. "Crossing Jewish voters – and the lobby – is inadvisable."
Doug Schoen, a political pollster, added, "(Ocasio-Cortez) is very hostile to Israel and to Jews. She will get virtually no support in the Jewish community, but if she were to run she would be running without any expectation of getting Jewish support."
Jeffrey Rodack ✉
Jeffrey Rodack, who has nearly a half century in news as a senior editor and city editor for national and local publications, has covered politics for Newsmax for nearly seven years.
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