So-called “Squad” member Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), while stumping for “Squad” hopeful Nina Turner in Ohio this past weekend, called for the abolishment of the carceral system.
The “Squad” hopeful is seeking to represent Ohio’s 11th Congressional District in a special election. The seat was previously held by now-Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Marcia Fudge, who President Joe Biden appointed.
At the rally for Turner, Ocasio-Cortez said, “I want to abolish our carceral system.” The system is “designed to trap Black and Brown men,” she added.
In the end, Ocasio-Cortez said, “I want justice. I want peace. And I want prosperity.”
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Turner is no stranger to the far-left side of the party. In the last presidential election, she served as the top advisor to the self-proclaimed socialist Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) on his failed presidential bid.
Mike Berg, a spokesman for the National Republican Congressional Committee, said in a statement, “Every vulnerable Democrat who refused to return AOC’s campaign cash should tell voters whether they agree with her proposal to abolish prisons and release convicted criminals into our communities.”
Berg’s statement comes as the NRCC is looking to tie vulnerable Democrats to the far-left side of the party.
In April, the campaign for Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) wired $5,000 directly into the campaign accounts for many of the vulnerable Democrats to help them boost their fundraising.
Ocasio-Cortez obtained the wire transfer information and account numbers from the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC), who allegedly did not check with the members themselves. Several Democrats began giving the money back, fearing that Ocasio-Cortez’s financial support could be more politically damaging to them than the money is worth.
Those who oppose Ocasio-Cortez and the far-left are using it to slam the members during campaigning and accuse them of accepting the far-left. The NRCC launched a “socialist give back” website after news of the money went public, which was aimed towards vulnerable Democrats who were wired money.
According to the Republican campaign arm, 26 members have still not given the money back.