A Democratic House hopeful vying for one of the nation's most competitive districts is staying silent after Rep.Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., voiced support for her campaign. Ocasio-Cortez, a leftist firebrand with growing influence in the Democratic Party, congratulated former Biden administration official Cait Conley on her primary victory in a social media post Wednesday."I look forward to working together as a delegation as we fight for working families across New York," Ocasio-Cortez wrote.
The post also celebrated a Democrat vying to succeed retiring Rep.Jerrold Nadler, D-N.Y., alongside three socialist candidates backed by New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani.RISING SOCIALIST STARS ON TRACK TO CONGRESS: WHO ARE DARIALIZA AVILA CHEVALIER, BRAD LANDER AND CLAIRE VALDEZ?Brad Lander, former New York City comptroller and U.S.
House candidate, stands with Zohran Mamdani, New York mayor, and Sen.Bernie Sanders, Independent of Vermont, at a Get Out The Vote rally at Kings Theater in Brooklyn on June 18, 2026.
(Adam Gray/Bloomberg via Getty Images)Conley has yet to comment on Ocasio-Cortez's support or address the trio of far-left candidates — longtime New York official Brad Lander, State Assembly member Claire Valdez, D-N.Y., and activist Darializa Avila-Chevalier — who have called for abolishing Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), are outspoken critics of Israel and have vowed to advance the Palestinian cause in Congress. Conley's general election opponent, Rep.Mike Lawler, R-N.Y., insists she should have to answer for it."Which is it, Cait: do you reject AOC and the candidates who want to abolish ICE, defund the police, and tear down our borders, or do you embrace them?" Lawler campaign manager Ciro Riccardi said in a statement to Fox News Digital."The Hudson Valley deserves an answer, and so far all we've heard is your damning silence," he continued.Lander and Avila-Chevalier previously called for defunding the police, while the latter has con...