A former Democratic fundraiser and author, Evan Barker, has criticized Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez's approach to her past political statements, particularly those labeled as "woke." Barker, who previously raised significant funds for progressive and Democratic candidates, believes Ocasio-Cortez needs to offer a more substantive explanation for her evolving views rather than dismiss them lightly.
Barker, an independent voter and author of "Nothing Left: Confessions Of A Democratic Operative," stated in an interview with the Daily Mail that Ocasio-Cortez's attempts to "laugh off" her earlier positions appear disingenuous. Barker argues that Ocasio-Cortez must articulate how her views have changed, especially if she harbors presidential aspirations. "You can't just, like, hand-wave it away and laugh about it without actually explaining how your views have evolved," Barker said.
Ocasio-Cortez has previously supported policies such as defunding the police, decriminalizing border crossings, abolishing ICE, and addressing systemic racism, and has used inclusive language. Barker suggested that Ocasio-Cortez's recent comments, where she admitted that the initial political iteration of "woke" issues got "crazy," do not adequately address the underlying reasons for these past stances.
Barker, who worked for five years raising up to $50 million for Democratic causes, switched her allegiance to vote for Donald Trump in 2024. She expressed disappointment with the Democratic Party's trajectory, especially its failure to course-correct after the 2024 election loss. According to Barker, the party is attempting to shift focus toward economic issues without addressing the social and cultural viewpoints that she believes alienate working-class voters.
"I think Democrats are trying to pivot, and they're not pivoting by addressing or actually changing their social policies or culture views," Barker stated. "They're just pivoting by going harder into economics but you can't pair lefty economics with super lefty social views. They're just incompatible." She added that "FDR wasn't woke."
Barker noted that many disillusioned Democrats and independents have reached out to her since she wrote her book, while also receiving welcoming messages from Republicans. She voiced frustration that the party has not engaged with her critiques. "Republicans aren't going to let you forget that you had these crazy views," Barker commented, suggesting that such an approach could lead to further electoral losses.
Barker's perspective is informed by her own background, including discussions with her working-class mother who indicated she would vote Republican despite reservations about Trump's second term, citing that the Republican Party better represented her values. "My financial situation doesn't really change that much if a Democrat or Republican is president, but at least the Republican Party has my values," her mother reportedly said.
Ocasio-Cortez's office did not respond to an inquiry for comment regarding Barker's statements.