None of the six members of the left-wing “Squad” have contributed to their fellow Democrats’ re-election bids, according to a member dues report obtained by Punchbowl News.
Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York, Rashida Tlaib of Michigan, and Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts are expected to donate $250,000 to the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC), according to the document. Reps. Cori Bush of Missouri, Ilhan Omar of Minnesota, and Jamaal Bowman of New York are all expected to contribute $150,000. None of the six have contributed any money to the campaign arm, despite concerns that Democrats are likely to struggle during the November midterms.
None of the “Squad” members immediately responded to the Daily Caller’s request for comment on whether or not they intend to contribute to the DCCC in the future. Bowman told Punchbowl News that he plans to contribute to the DCCC, while Ocasio-Cortez said she prefers to give directly to candidates.
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Ocasio-Cortez’s leadership PAC Courage to Change has spent almost $360,000 during the current election cycle, according to Federal Election Commission filings. Candidate recipients include Summer Lee in Pennsylvania, Nina Turner in Ohio, and Jessica Cisneros in Texas. (RELATED: Paula Jean Swearengin, Former Ally Of Ocasio-Cortez, Says Congresswoman Betrayed Small Donors Who ‘Gave Up Their Lunch Money’)
Left-wing members, most notably Ocasio-Cortez, have frequently angered fellow Democrats by refusing to donate to the DCCC. The organization created a new rule in 2019 prohibiting vendors from working with candidates challenging incumbents, leading Ocasio-Cortez and Pressley to announce that they would no longer contribute.
Ocasio-Cortez supported a primary challenge to DCCC chairman Sean Patrick Maloney of New York. She expressed anger at his decision to funnel money to Republican candidates who claim that the 2020 election was stolen from Donald Trump, as well as his move to push Rep. Mondaire Jones out of a safe seat. Maloney defeated state Sen. Alessandra Biaggi by 33 points, while Jones finished third in a 13-candidate primary.
The DCCC has raised nearly $253 million in the 2022 election cycle, and has more than $118 million on-hand. The National Republican Campaign Committee has raised almost $225 million, and has more than $110 million on-hand.