The Republican National Committee (RNC) in an email on Thursday condemned New York House candidate Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D) as the “mini-Maduro” of the Democratic party, comparing her to the authoritarian Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.
“Meet Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez: the mini-Maduro foreboding the future of Democrats,” the RNC email proclaimed in bold letters.
Maduro, the leader of the United Socialist Party of Venezuela, has been accused of being a dictator. Under his leadership, Venezuela has struggled with rising levels of poverty, worsening living conditions and increasing discord among its citizens.
{mosads}The RNC email draws a parallel between Ocasio-Cortez and Maduro because they both identify as socialist.
The email slams Ocasio-Cortez for her involvement with the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA), a grassroots socialist organization, and claims she has “ignited turmoil in her party” by declining to support Rep. Nancy Pelosi (R-Ca.) as the next Speaker should Democrats retake the House.
“Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is leading the Democrat party to the left with nothing more than an unsubstantiated, factually incorrect socialist wish list,” the email states.
Ocasio-Cortez is one of dozens of House candidates across the country who have come out against Pelosi, claiming she is part of the older, less progressive Democratic establishment.
“Ocasio-Cortez’s expensive ideas often lack any grounding in facts and she has been fact checked at least five times,” the RNC email claims before linking to dozens of articles that examine and debunk the claims Ocasio-Cortez has made throughout her campaign.
The 28-year-old candidate, who is likely to win her deep-blue district in November, is running on a platform that includes abolishing Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), instituting single-payer healthcare and “housing as a human right.” She won her district’s primary last month over incumbent Rep. Joe Crowley (D-N.Y.) in an upset.
Multiple Democratic leaders have referred to Ocasio-Cortez as the “future” of the party, including Democratic National Committee Chairman Tom Perez.
Ocasio-Cortez’s policy positions have been the subject of enormous public scrutiny, with conservative commentators slamming her over multiple factual inaccuracies. She has attributed the attention to sexism and accused her critics of subjecting her to unfair double standards.