Progressive Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez acknowledged in a recent interview that the perception that she is out of touch with her constituents is “always a concern.” “It’s always a concern that this is a perception,” the New York Democrat told The Associated Press, discussing the possibility that her celebrity status could strike voters as out of touch with their concerns. “I never had any control over the fact that this kind of phenomenon started the moment I was elected,” he continued. “If anything, that’s why it’s so important to me to continue to be here in the community.” Ocasio-Cortez is followed by over 13 million people on Twitter alone, and her posts often go viral on social media, making her one of the most well-known Democrats on the internet. ‘WITHOUT SYMPATHY’: AOC SURPRISED OF COMPLAINT OF NEGLIGENCE EVEN THOUGH IT SPECIFIED CAVANAUGH’S PROVISION Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez appears during Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s congressional testimony (Aurora Samperio/NurPhoto via Getty Images) But a Democratic strategist told The Associated Press that Ocasio-Cortez’s online fame doesn’t necessarily translate to offline popularity. “Other than the very online far left, he’s not popular,” said Jon Reinish, a Democratic political strategist in New York. “He’s well to the left of the vast majority of New York voters.” AOC CALLS SUPREME COURT EPA ‘DISASTROUS’ Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, DN.Y., chats with a reporter as she walks down the House steps (Photo by Caroline Brehman/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images) Ocasio-Cortez’s online popularity has translated into real life with some voters, including one man who told a town hall in March that he doesn’t live in the congressional district, which covers parts of the Bronx and Queens, but says he sees it as “normal person”. “I knew she was big,” said 21-year-old Daron Jones. “I’m inspired by how he’s just a normal person. He’s just out here trying to help the community.” JESSE WATTERS: AOC IS BIG PROBLEM FOR DEMOCRATS Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, DN.Y., speaks with reporters, Thursday, June 17, 2021, as she arrives on Capitol Hill in Washington. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin) Ocasio-Cortez’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital. The New York congresswoman was embroiled in a heated social media row this week after she re-shared a video to her millions of followers from political satirist Alex Stein, showing him praising her looks and referring to her as the “beloved of Latina with a big booty”. ascended the steps of the Capitol. Ocasio-Cortez posted on social media that the comments were “racist” and “sexist,” adding that it was “bad to work for an institution that openly allowed this.” Ocasio-Cortez’s viral response drew immediate criticism from social media users, who pointed to an earlier tweet in which she appeared to dismiss concerns about the safety of Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP “Poor man,” Ocasio-Cortez tweeted in response to a report that pro-choice protesters had disrupted Kavanaugh’s dinner at the Washington, D.C., restaurant. “He left before his soufflé because he decided half the country should risk death if he has an ectopic pregnancy with the wrong state boundaries. It’s so unfair to him. The least they could do is let him eat cake.” The congresswoman’s tweet came less than a month after an alleged assassination attempt on Kavanaugh’s life in response to a leaked draft opinion foreshadowing the eventual overturning of Roe v. Wade. Real Clear Investigations senior writer Mark Hemingway was one of many on social media to blast Ocasio-Cortez’s new tone, tweeting: “Four days ago she was defending protesters chasing Supreme Court Justices from a private institution. Today she’s suggesting they go after a guy who said rude things about her on the steps of a public building. She should probably pick a consistent position here.” Andrew Mark Miller is a writer at Fox News. Find him on Twitter @andymarkmiller and email tips at [email protected]
