NO WAY OUT

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Says Nancy Pelosi’s Time Is Up, but No One’s Ready to Replace Her

Asked if it was time to replace Pelosi and Schumer, the congresswoman responded bluntly: “I do think that we need new leadership in the Democratic Party.”

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has said that she thinks it’s time for House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer to go—but that there’s no one ready to step up and replace them in the Democratic leadership. Speaking to The Intercept in an interview published Wednesday, the progressive New York congresswoman was asked if it was time to replace Pelosi and Schumer. She responded bluntly: “I do think that we need new leadership in the Democratic Party.” However, Ocasio-Cortez complained that the party has failed to create the “next generation” of leaders, and said that she’s “not ready” to do the job of speaker yet. “If you create that vacuum, there are so many nefarious forces at play to fill that vacuum with something even worse,” she said. Schumer, 70, was re-elected as leader of the Senate Democrats last month, and Pelosi is set to be reelected as speaker in January.