Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., didn’t take the election loss of her endorsed political ally in May well and had what critics called a “meltdown” on social media when the initial votes showed a conservative Democrat prevailing.
Ocasio-Cortez’ endorsed and supported far-left candidate Jessica Cisneros, who refused to concede and demanded a recount after her loss in May. AOC took to social media to complain that the election was unfair.
“Congress should not be an incumbent protection racket and sadly it is treated as such by far too many,” Ocasio-Cortez tweeted on May 25. “The fact is those who fail their communities deserve to lose. They don’t need rescuing from powerful leaders who state they fight for gun safety, the right to choose, and more.”
“TX28 is an extremely close race. If Cuellar wins, leadership’s decision to go to the mat for a pro-NRA incumbent will be the reason why. If Cisneros pulls it out, they will have mobilized against a badly needed grassroots for Nov & fought against a historic victory. And for what?” she complained.
On Tuesday, that recount in Texas affirmed Democrat U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar as the winner over Cisneros… and by a larger margin than originally reported.
Cuellar, a nine-term congressman, defeated Cisneros by 289 votes, according to the results of the recount announced by the Texas Democratic Party.
Cisneros didn’t handle the news well, and lashed out on social media on Tuesday —
We always knew this was an uphill battle. We were up against a corrupt political machine, Republican-funded Super PACs, Big Oil, the Chamber of Commerce, dark money groups, Big Pharma, and nearly the entire Democratic Party establishment – and we still refused to back down.
— Jessica Cisneros (@JCisnerosTX) June 21, 2022
The only way you defeat fear is with courage and determination that in the richest nation in the world, we all deserve to thrive.
Change is a process — and through this process, we’re educating our community that we deserve better than the status quo.
— Jessica Cisneros (@JCisnerosTX) June 21, 2022
It is the second time that Cisneros, a 29-year-old immigration attorney who once interned for Cuellar, has lost a challenge to her former boss, whose moderate record along Texas’ heavily Hispanic southern border has aligned him at times with Republicans on issues including abortion and guns.
Cisneros got even closer than in 2020, when she lost by 4 percentage points thanks to national support from the party’s progressive leaders, including Ocasio-Cortez, Sens. Bernie Sanders of Vermont, and Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts. They endorsed her again in the rematch along with abortion-rights groups that swooped into the race as the U.S. Supreme Court signaled it might overturn Roe v. Wade.
Cuellar is one of the last pro-life Democrats in Congress and has also bucked the party for years over his support of gun rights and a tougher stance on immigration. But he still kept the support of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Democratic leadership.
“As I said on election night, ‘the margin will hold’ — and it has not only held but grown,” Cuellar said in a statement Tuesday.
“To those who did not vote for me, as your Congressman I will continue to work diligently for you in Washington. While we may differ on certain positions, we share a common ground on many issues to improve our communities and strengthen families,” Cuellar said.
“It is now time to come together and win the General Election in November,” he added.
Cuellar will face Republican Cassy Garcia in November in a district that remains favorable to Democrats.
But the GOP has growing confidence in South Texas, a longtime Democratic stronghold, after Republican Mayra Flores flipped an open congressional seat in a special election Tuesday.
FLASHBACK: Ocasio-Cortez has meltdown after election loss
The Horn editorial team and the Associated Press contributed to this article