
(UnitedVoice.com) – Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) has made a name for herself as a favorite of millennial Liberals and Democrats. The former bartender-turned-politician is known for her extreme opinions on immigration, global warming and Medicare-for-all. Her support of presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders (D-VT) and love of government programs has even caused some speculation as to whether she’s really a Socialist instead of a Democrat.
With the election coming up in November, AOC will have to defend her seat against many people who feel they can do a better job representing New York’s 14th Congressional District than she does. Here’s a look at a few of the people trying to unseat the Democratic darling.
Badrun Khan
@AP News fact checks @BernieSanders (and @AOC) on his plan for #MedicareForAll at #DemDebate:
BERNIE SANDERS: “Medicare for all … will cost substantially less than the status quo.”
THE FACTS: There’s no guarantee that “Medicare for All” will cost less. pic.twitter.com/zydNPNMSyD
— Badrun Khan (@badrun_khan) January 16, 2020
Badrun Khan is a self-proclaimed activist who claims to have spent most of her life “fighting for justice, equality and fairness in her community.” Running as a Democrat, Khan is seen as a moderate version of AOC. She doesn’t support Medicare-for-all but is against things like subsidies for fossil fuel companies.
Fernando Cabrera
AOC's handling Puerto Rico the same as #NY14 – with lip service. She'll use them for talking points at the next Bernie rally, but nobody will receive the goods or care that other representatives provide!
Her occasional presence and sympathy doesn't quite cut it. #VoteCabrera
— Fernando Cabrera (@CabreraCongress) February 18, 2020
Fernando Cabrera is a New York City Council member representing AOC’s district. He’s a Democrat that gives AOC a run for her money when it comes to being involved in the local community. He’s a senior pastor at a church in the Bronx and holds positions on the Gun Violence Task Force and Governmental Operations Committee.
Cabrera has been outspoken on his thoughts about AOC. He thinks that his district should have a more moderate Democrat representing them and that AOC “hasn’t brought about anything except division within the party.”
Scherie Murray
“Give it a shot…slow down a bit.” Is she serious? It took just 12 days for someone to get killed because of this weak & dangerous #bailreform law.
Career criminals are let loose again & again due to the ban on “cash bail”, the cuffs on cops & judges.https://t.co/WZulrhQuvC
— Scherie Murray (@ScherieMurray) February 16, 2020
Scherie Murray is a business owner from Queens who’s tried to get into politics before. She ran as the Republican special election candidate in 2015 for District 29 but lost. Because she doesn’t seem to be a traditional Republican, she’s been dealing with criticism from both sides of the aisle. This might be the reason she’s focusing her campaign on bringing Democrats and Republicans together to “bring real changes to government.”
John Cummings
“Forward” @AOC & @BernieSanders are not taking us "forward" with socialist policies, they're taking us backwards. Back to higher taxes on American families, crippling regulations that hurt small businesses, & trillions in spending that will bankrupt our country. No thanks! #NY14
— JohnCummings2020 (@cummings2020) February 13, 2020
John Cummings is a retired NYPD police officer and the only candidate to win the support of the Bronx Republican Party. He considers himself to be a “small-government guy” and dislikes AOC’s Democratic Socialist views. So far he’s focused his campaign on infrastructure improvements, allowing parents to choose which schools their children attend and simplifying the tax code.
Hopefully, the residents of New York’s 14th district won’t make the same mistake they did in 2018 and will finally elect someone who wants to help people instead of pushing their own socialist agenda.
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