WASHINGTON — Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y. signaled a strategic retreat from certain progressive positions that defined the early 2020s, saying the rhetoric of that era no longer serves the Democratic Party.
Appearing on ABC News Sunday, Ocasio-Cortez discussed Wisconsin gubernatorial candidate Francesca Hong, a democratic socialist who has walked back past stances on abolishing policing and canceling Thanksgiving.
"I have a local city councilman that has this saying, 'Woke one was crazy,'" Ocasio-Cortez said, laughing. The comment came in response to anchor Jonathan Karl's question about Hong's past positions and whether they would hurt her electorally.
Karl pressed further, asking whether the movement went too far — specifically citing Ocasio-Cortez's own past support for defunding the police. The congresswoman offered an extended defense of that period's politics.
She described the COVID-19 pandemic as a moment when the Overton window — the range of policies acceptable to mainstream voters — swung wide open. During the shutdowns and mass unemployment, she said, politicians were willing to "entertain any and every policy" that might improve conditions.
Ocasio-Cortez said discussions from that time were "quite fruitful" but drew a clear line between then and now, emphasizing that both parties share a goal of achieving the lowest possible crime rate. "Rhetoric in that time is not rhetoric that we would use today," she said.
Her comments amount to an effort to separate certain ideas from the 2020 era from the contemporary left — framing them as products of a singular moment rather than enduring policy commitments.
The political ground shifted quickly after 2020. The police reform movement largely collapsed at the federal level, with legislation stalling in Congress. Progressive prosecutors who ran on reform agendas faced backlash at the ballot box.
Hong's reversal on police abolition and Thanksgiving fits that pattern — a pragmatic adjustment to public opinion ahead of a competitive gubernatorial race.
Ocasio-Cortez's willingness to make that case publicly marks a notable moment for the Democratic left, which spent years defending those positions as the party tries to broaden its appeal before the next round of national elections.
