SHARE

Ocasio-Cortez Compares Controversy Over Northern Westchester Roots To Birther Theory

Just days before officially taking office, U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is blasting cynics questioning her roots as a self-described "girl from the Bronx" despite moving to Northern Westchester when she was age 5, comparing the controversy to the birther conspiracy theory.

Poll
Do you think it's fair for Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez to refer to herself as a "Bronx girl" despite graduating from Yorktown High School?
Final Results Voting Closed

Do you think it's fair for Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez to refer to herself as a "Bronx girl" despite graduating from Yorktown High School?

  • Absolutely
    12%
  • Absolutely not
    50%
  • Probably OK
    4%
  • Probably not OK
    11%
  • Don't really care
    24%

The just-turned 29 Ocasio-Cortez, tweeting a reference to Jennifer Lopez’s “Jenny from the block," wrote above a  photo of a plaque representing her 14th congressional district, which is made up of parts of the Bronx and Queens: "Don't be fooled by the plaques that we got. I'm still / I'm still Alex from the Bronx.''

Ocasio-Cortez has said that she moved from the Parkchester section of the Bronx to for a small home in Yorktown Heights as a child so she could go to public school there, but that her father and other family remained in the Bronx.

In a new round of tweets on the subject, Ocasio-Cortez, who graduated from Yorktown High School in 2007, fired back at John Cardillo, a host of Newsmax's "America Talks Live," among others.

Cardillo had shared shortly after Ocasio-Cortez's upset primary win over incumbent Joe Crowley a photo of the childhood home in Yorktown Heights, saying she lived there until she went to attend Brown University. (Ocasio-Cortez actually attended Boston University.) 

Ocasio-Cortez compared the comment to the birther conspiracy theory, saying, "You’re the dude whose immediate reaction to winning my primary was posting a photo of my mom’s house.

"Going to public school in Yorktown has *always* been how I told the story of income inequality.

"You didn’t even know who I was 7 months ago. You’re not gonna 'birther' me now."

In another tweet, on Saturday, Dec. 29, Ocasio-Cortez wrote to her now more than 1.7 million followers, "My mamá taught me how to deal with bullies. When I moved to a new town at a young age, I stuck out for all sorts of reasons: I looked different, I spoke Spanish, my clothes weren’t as nice."

That same day, Ocasio-Cortez changed her Twitter handle from @Ocasio2018 to @AOC.

to follow Daily Voice Trumbull-Monroe and receive free news updates.

SCROLL TO NEXT ARTICLE