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Judge Removes AOC From Progressive Ballot Line After Not Securing Enough Votes

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OPINION: This article may contain commentary which reflects the author's opinion.


It’s no secret that Democratic lawmakers have grown tired of Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and her never-ending stunts.

AOC’s re-election chances have been in flux amid slumping poll numbers and the 2020 Census, which could give New York lawmakers the opportunity to eliminate AOC’s House seat, which would remove her from Congress.

Ocasio-Cortez was been removed from the progressive union-backed Working Families Party (WFP) ballot line by a New York State Supreme Court judge, another blow to her competitive Democratic primary fight.

AOC was removed from the primary ballot after receiving only 13 signatures from members of the progressive group. She needed 15 signatures in order to get on the ballot.

For perspective, there are currently 5,903 active members of the party in Queens and the Bronx.

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She couldn’t get 15 signatures for the WFP line out of 5,903 possible members. 

Martin O’Connor — the attorney for AOC’s Democrat opponent Michelle Caruso-Cabrera — says Ocasio-Cortez will not be on the WFP ballot line in the November general election.

“AOC has hurt working people of the Bronx and Queens with her votes and creates disunity within our party,” Caruso-Cabrera told the New York Daily News. “No wonder why pro-union forces don’t want her, and neither do our neighborhoods.”

Caruso-Cabrera, a former CBNC anchor, has mounted a serious campaign and stands a good chance of defeating Ocasio-Cortez in New York’s Democratic primary.

Here’s more from Fox News on the WFP and why this is important:

The Working Families Party is an independent political party that cross-endorses progressive candidates through New York’s fusion voting system — which allows endorsement across ballot lines — to press Democrats to the left and extract concessions without being dismissed by voters as a spoiler.

Under fusion voting, multiple political parties can list the same candidate, pooling the votes for that candidate.

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo had lowered the number of signatures needed to qualify for the primary ballot to 15. Ocasio-Cortez submitted 14 signatures, but one was thrown out because the voter was a registered Democrat.

New York Supreme Court Judge Phillip Hom ruled that Ocasio-Cortez should be removed from the WFP ballot, where she would have run unopposed.

Despite this, the Working Families Party is still sticking with Ocasio-Cortez.

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Ocasio-Cortez and Caruso-Cabrera are at the front of the race for the Democrat primary in New York’s 14th Congressional District spanning through Queens and the Bronx.

This isn’t the only thing Ocasio-Cortez is facing.

Assuming she wins re-election, there’s also a growing chance that New York will lose a House seat after the 2020 Census.

Reports suggest that New York Democrats are looking to draw out Ocasio-Cortez’s district.

Reports have suggested that at least a quarter of those living in Ocasio-Cortez’s district are illegal immigrants with no legal right to live in America.

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As such, Ocasio-Cortez’s district may ultimately be redrawn and she may be pushed out of her congressional seat.

“A Census undercount in Ocasio-Cortez’s district and elsewhere in the state could lead to the elimination of congressional districts — potentially setting off politically charged redistricting battles,” the report said.

Whether it’s her primary challenge against Caruso-Cabrera or the 2020 Census, Ocasio-Cortez is facing the very real possibility that one way or another, she may not be in Congress around this time next year.

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