In a Wednesday, November 2 tweet, Twitter's new billionaire owner, Elon Musk, took a swipe at Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York when he posted a photo of an AOC sweatshirt that was selling for $58 and added a frowning emoji. But the progressive Democratic congresswoman, who is never shy about calling out her political adversaries, was quick to defend the shirt and point out that it was made by union labor.
AOC tweeted, "Proud of this and always will be. My workers are union, make a living wage, have full healthcare, and aren't subject to racist treatment in their workplaces. Items are made in USA. Team AOC honors and respects working people. You should try it sometime instead of union-busting."
In a separate tweet, the congresswoman added, "Not to mention all proceeds go to community organizing like our Homework Helpers program which gives private tutoring to kids who've needed learning support since COVID: Check out our shop!"
Like her political mentor, Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont, the self-described "democratic socialist" has been a vigorous defender of unions and has emphasized that union members enjoy much better working conditions — from salary to benefits — than nonunionized workers.
First elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 2018, AOC is seeking a third term in the 2022 midterms. The congresswoman has often been attacked by far-right MAGA pundits on Fox News and Fox Business, but she is quite popular in her predominantly Democratic district, which has included areas of the Bronx and Queens.
In 2020, Ocasio-Cortez defeated Republican challenger John Cummings by about 44 percent. And in 2022, AOC is up against conspiracy theorist Tina Forte — a far-right MAGA Republican and QAnon supporter who has posted photos of herself with members of the violent Proud Boys. FiveThirtyEight has given Forte less than a 1 percent chance of defeating AOC on November 8.
