AOC raises more than Pelosi, Schiff in third quarter: Report
Democratic New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez outraised all other House Democrats running for office in 2020 in the third quarter of 2019, records show.
The freshman congresswoman, who represents parts of the Bronx and Queens, raised about $1.42 million in the third quarter between July 1 and Sept. 30, the New York Post reported.
Ocasio-Cortez out-fundraised fellow Democratic California Reps. House Intelligence Committee Chair Adam Schiff, who brought in $1.26 million, and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who raised $1.145 million, according to the Post.
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Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., greet supporters on the campus of Iowa Western Community College in Council Bluffs, Iowa, Friday, Nov. 8, 2019. (AP Photo/Nati Harnik)
"While many try to belittle a progressive agenda that centers working people [and] the public good, in truth it’s more powerful than ever," Ocasio-Cortez said on Twitter Tuesday in response to a tweet about her fundraising. "I haven’t picked up a phone once this year to dial for dollars, [and] I don’t meet [with] corp lobbyists. That is the power of your grassroots support."
"I intentionally built my campaign to rely on small-dollar grassroots support w/o any corporate [money], because I felt that’s the best way to be accountable to everyday people. It has impacted how I work in Congress in powerful ways -- ways I couldn’t fully appreciate until I got here," she continued.
The self-described democratic socialist explained that because she is raising money while in office, she gets to spend more time working on legislation rather than trying to gather enough donations to win an election.
"While Fox continues to laugh that I’m 'just a bartender,' I’ve spen[t] the whole year studying big pharma, private equity, military contractors, and Mark Zuckerberg’s shady deals," she concluded.
Political consultant George Arzt said her success with fundraising as a freshman congresswoman is "very rare and unique," according to the Post.
"This is very rare, unique — I can’t recall anyone raising this much money during the first year in office," Arzt said. "AOC is a celebrity who gained attention from people across the country, and many on the left support her."
Schiff, Pelosi and Democratic North Carolina Rep. Dan McCready have raised more in total in 2019 than their 30-year-old colleague at $4.41 million, $3.74 million and $7.34 million, respectively, Federal Election Commission data show.
McCready almost won North Carolina's special election earlier this year against Republican Rep. Dan Bishop.
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