Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Labels Past Progressive Era 'Woke 1' As Crazy

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez described the "Woke 1" era of progressive activism as crazy in a recent ABC interview, a statement that has prompted Democratic guests on Sunday shows to avoid defining the term woke.

Ocasio-Cortez has also been sharing details of her egg-freezing process on Instagram, posting videos and answering questions from her 9.6 million followers. Some Democrats view Ocasio-Cortez's "Woke 1" comment as a strategic distancing from past perceived excesses, potentially to aid a future presidential run. Former Biden White House adviser Yemisi Egbewole suggested this pivot could hinder her with culturally moderate demographics, including Black voters in the South.

Ocasio-Cortez attributed some of the left's past excesses partly to the COVID-19 pandemic and lockdowns, though she made controversial remarks before 2020. On Sunday shows, Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA) declined to directly agree with Ocasio-Cortez's assessment, stating he did not know what the labels meant and instead recited his record, including never supporting defunding the police and calling for abolishing ICE.

When asked about a Democratic socialist who lost a primary after calling for the removal of Thanksgiving, Khanna defended her, stating he was proud to endorse her. Governor Wes Moore (D-MD) also faced similar questioning on "State of the Union." Ocasio-Cortez herself did not endorse the losing Democratic socialist candidate, stating her focus was on winning back the Congress.