Ocasio-Cortez rips Colorado Republican for not holding town hall
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) swiped at Rep. Gabe Evans (R-Colo.) at a rally in his district Friday, telling his constituents they "deserve better."
"I hear that you have a representative that has not done a town hall," Ocasio-Cortez told a crowd at the second stop of her "Fighting Oligarchy" tour with Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) in Greeley, Colo.
"You know, I will say, usually your first three months on a new job, you are on your best behavior and working your hardest," she continued. "If this is the best that you all are getting, I think you deserve better."
Ocasio-Cortez went on to slam Evans, along with Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.), for their votes last week in favor of a House GOP-drafted government funding bill.
"Gabe Evans, you know that guy who hasn't been showing up? Maybe it's because he voted to cut Medicaid," she said.
An analysis by the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office found that the GOP plan could not be reached without reducing Medicaid spending.
Evans is one of a number of vulnerable House Republicans who Democrats have targeted with town halls in recent weeks. Earlier this week, Sen. Michael Bennet (D-Colo.) held a town hall in Greeley.
In a statement responding to the rally, a spokesperson for Evans referred to Ocasio-Cortez and Sanders as “extreme.”
“Democrats may not know what their brand is right now, but Congressman Gabe Evans knows his. Congressman Evans is fighting for lower costs, safer communities, and making the American Dream possible for all Coloradans. His commonsense approach stands in stark contrast to AOC and Bernie Sanders’ extreme, anti-oil and gas rhetoric,” the spokesperson said.
Evans’s team noted it has held more than 300 meetings with voters in the state and have conducted 45 press interviews since he was sworn in in January.
Evans’s team also noted he did not vote for cuts to Medicaid. The Washington Examiner reported earlier this week that the Democratic group House Majority Forward was forced to take down billboards targeting Republicans, including Evans, after the National Republican Congressional Committee sent a cease-and-desist letter on Wednesday.
The nonpartisan Cook Political Report rates Colorado's 8th Congressional District as a toss-up.