Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez leaves after speaking to abortion-rights activists in front of the U.S. Supreme Court on June 24. Photo: Nathan Howard/Getty Images
It may be time to reconsider whether anti-abortion rights Democrats should continue serving in elected office, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) told followers in a video posted to Instagram on Saturday evening.
Driving the news: In a 55-minute video, Ocasio-Cortez outlined a number of priorities that Democrats should focus on in the wake of the Supreme Court's decision to overturn Roe v. Wade.
What they're saying: "If you live in a blue area, when people say ‘go vote,’ that should include primary elections too," she told her 8.5 million followers on Instagram.
- "Because the thing that a lot of people don't like to talk about is the fact that not every Democrat is pro-choice," she added.
- "So, the ones that aren't, we really need to reassess if it's appropriate for them to continue to serve in 2022, because people should have the right to control their own body. This is pretty basic."
- "That goes for the municipal level, it goes for the state level, it goes for the federal level."
The big picture: Ocasio-Cortez was critical of House leaders' decision to back Rep. Henry Cuellar, a Catholic who opposes abortion, in the recent Democratic primary race in Texas, in which he beat progressive Jessica Cisneros.