ADVERTISEMENT

New Ads Target Dem Reps for Policies Aligning With Ocasio-Cortez

February 11, 2019

The Congressional Leadership Fund, the super PAC endorsed by House Republican leadership, released two ads on Monday targeting Democratic Reps. Antonio Delgado (N.Y.) and Colin Allred (Texas) for supporting energy policies that align with the democratic socialist Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D., N.Y.).

The ad targeting Delgado informs viewers, "Antonio Delgado and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez have begun their radical Green New Deal assault on the American economy. Delgado and AOC: a bad deal for New York."

Delgado was a vocal supporter of a Green New Deal during his 2018 campaign, although he's yet to sign onto the deal since taking office.

Ocasio-Cortez and Sen. Ed Markey (D., Mass.) on Thursday released a 14-page document outlining their Green New Deal, an attempt to drastically overhaul the U.S. economy and energy system. The proponents of the deal aim to phase the country off fossil fuels and nuclear energy in 10 years.

While Allred, who represents a district in the leading oil-producing state in the country, has not come out in direct support of the resolution introduced last week, he supports a carbon tax that aligns with Ocasio-Cortez's priorities.

"Colin Allred and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez are hard at work eliminating Texas energy jobs. His carbon tax and her Green New Deal means skyrocketing prices, higher taxes for Texas families," the second CLF ad says.

Zach Hunter, the Congressional Leadership Fund's vice president, criticized the freshman lawmakers for supporting a radically left agenda.

"Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is the new leader of the Democratic Party and Colin Allred and Antonio Delgado are already falling in line with her radical agenda. The so-called Green New Deal is nothing more than a far-left wishlist that will result in higher taxes and less freedom for Americans," Hunter said in a statement.

The Green New Deal has received the backing of several 2020 presidential hopefuls, including Sens. Cory Booker (N.J.), Kirsten Gillibrand (N.Y.), Kamala Harris (Calif.),  Amy Klobuchar (Minn.) and Elizabeth Warren (Mass.). Sen. Bernie Sanders (I., Vt.), who has maintained interest in making another run for the Democratic nomination but not yet announced his candidacy, is also a co-sponsor of the resolution.

It has also received backlash and been rejected as "impractical," however, from Republicans and Democrats alike. Ocasio-Cortez's office has since deleted a supplemental document with references to particularly controversial proposals. One advisor went as far to say during a Fox News interview that the criticized document was "doctored," although it was released directly on the congresswoman's website.