Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez completely dodged MSNBC host Chris Hayes’ inquiry into the rumors that the congresswoman has plans to take on Chuck Schumer in the 2028 Democratic Primary to nab his Senate seat, an effort Hayes mentioned as a speculation some have as the root of why Democrats have not struck a deal with Republicans, which ultimately led to Wednesday’s government shut down.
“There are some people I have seen who have the following theory of why Senate Democrats have not cut a deal where they give eight votes and move along, and that is that Chuck Schumer is worried about a primary challenge from you and is worried about the politics to his left flank,” the “All In with Chris Hayes” host explained on Tuesday night’s episode of the MSNBC show. “Because of that [he’s] worried about a primary challenge, he’s going to shut down the government, ergo it is AOC’s fault that the government is shutting down or that you are somehow the fulcrum of this, and I just want to ask you straight up: are you planning to primary challenge him? You think that’s why he’s doing this?”
Ocasio-Cortez immediately shut down the idea.
“This is so not about me in this moment. This is about people being able to insure their children,” Ocasio-Cortez said.
However, she did confirm that she’s heard the rumors, and added that if any of her Republican colleagues would like to chat, her office door is open.
“My office is open and you are free to walk in and negotiate with me directly, because what I’m not going to do is tolerate four million uninsured Americans because Donald Trump decided one day that he wants to just make sure that kids are dying because they don’t have access to insurance, that’s not what’s going to happen,” Ocasio-Cortez asserted.
She continued: “If senators think that we’re having a shutdown because of me, they’re free to enter my office and negotiate, because what we’re not going to do is allow millions of people in this country to not be able to afford their insulin. and their chemotherapy. So come strike a deal with me if that’s what they think is going on.”
On Wednesday, the U.S. government was shut down after Congress and Trump failed to reach a deal on funding, with both parties blaming the other for their disagreements on Obamacare subsidies, per CNN. While essential agencies like law enforcement and post offices will be open, many federal workers will be impacted.
You can watch the full “All In with Chris Hayes” segment in the video above.
