AOC's $15.4M campaign war chest is biggest in US House, with most donations coming from outside her NYC district
The progressive firebrand raised $5.8 million in the second quarter, following a eye-watering $9.6 million she raked in during the first quarter — her second most profitable quarter on record, according to her FEC records.
'In Q2, AOC raised $5.8m from over 161,000 individual donors and an average donation of just $17,' her campaign manager Oliver Hidalgo-Wohlleben said on X.
4 AOC is the top fundraiser in the House so far in 2025, with a $15.4 million campaign war chest.
Jack Forbes / NY Post Design
But instead of spending big in her own backyard, the self-proclaimed 'Bronx girl' is blowing $3.6 million on Facebook and Instagram ads which barely target New Yorkers, a review of campaign expenditures shows.
One of her latest ad blitzes, dropped Wednesday and packed with clips from her and socialist pal Bernie's' 'Fighting the Oligarchy' tour attacking the Trump administration, was seen by more people in California than her home state, Meta data show.
Her massive haul could indicate she's positioning herself for a Senate or White House run in 2028.
'She is trading on her national profile to go where the dollars are,' Jacob Neiheisel, political communication expert at the University of Buffalo, told The Post.
'It's become incredibly easy to pull dollars from all across the country. . . . And there's a lot of money in SoCal,' he added.
4 One of AOC's Facebook ads launched this week targeted California, Texas, Florida, Michigan and Illinois, among other states.
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez/ Facebook
A jaw-dropping 72% of AOC's donations have come from outside her home district in Queens and the Bronx — and well beyond the Empire State.
Some of her biggest individual donors are coming from California, Massachusetts and Maine, where dozens forked over the maximum allowed contribution of $3,500. Only 12% of those top donors were in New York.
She pulled in $4.3 million this year from her home state, with everything else coming from outside.
4 AOC continues to tour across the country.
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez/ Facebook
4 One of AOC's current Facebook ads.
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez/ Facebook
'It's not unusual that a candidate, especially someone like AOC, would buy media outside of their home district – but not any politician can do it,' said Steve Caplan, a political advertising expert at the University of Southern California.
'It's something that is fairly typical of high profile, national level politicians, and she is certainly that.'
'The notion that this is somehow setting the stage for either a national or a statewide run . . . I think that's quite likely,' he added.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
USA Today
7 minutes ago
- USA Today
Mike Johnson says Ghislaine Maxwell should serve 'life sentence,' opposes potential pardon
House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-Louisiana, said he believes Ghislaine Maxwell, a key associate of Jeffrey Epstein currently serving 20 years in prison for conspiring to sexually abuse minors, should face "a life sentence." "If you're asking my opinion, I think 20 years was a pittance," Johnson told NBC's Kristen Welker on "Meet the Press" July 27. "I think she should have a life sentence, at least." His remarks to NBC come as many, including supporters of President Donald Trump, clamor for testimony from Maxwell. Some followers of the case have proposed a pardon in exchange, but Trump told reporters on July 25 he hadn't considered the move. "I'm allowed to do it, but it's something I have not thought about," the president said. Epstein was charged with sexually trafficking minors and died by suicide while in detention in 2019. Maxwell, his longtime girlfriend, has been accused of recruiting minors for the disgraced financier's predation. Maxwell maintains her innocence and is appealing her 2021 sex-trafficking conviction. Johnson in his interview with NBC reiterated that pardons aren't up to him, telling the outlet, "obviously that's a decision of the president." "I won't get it in front of him," Johnson said. "That's not my lane." But, later in the interview he noted, "It's hard to put into words how evil this was, and that she orchestrated it and was a big part of it." "So, again, not my decision," he added, "but I have great pause about that, as any reasonable person would." The Trump administration for weeks has faced backlash over its handling of Epstein's case. Critics from Democratic lawmakers to prominent Republicans and slices of Trump's voter base accuse the president and other officials of not being transparent with the American people. The speaker has faced his own ongoing Epstein-related criticism, as some House Republicans have zeroed in on the Justice Department's recent review of Epstein's case and are calling for related documents to be released publicly. Democrats in Congress have piled on too. Reps. Ro Khanna, D-California, and Thomas Massie, R-Kentucky, introduced a bipartisan measure to force the Trump administration's hand in releasing the federal government's files. Also on "Meet The Press," the pair split on pardoning Maxwell. "That would be up to the president," Massie said. "But if she has information that could help us, then I think she should testify. Let's get that out there. And whatever they need to do to compel that testimony, as long as it's truthful, I would be in favor of." Khanna disagreed, saying Maxwell shouldn't receive a pardon. "Look, I agree with Congressman Massie that she should testify," the California Democrat said. "But she's been indicted twice on perjury. This is why we need the files. This is why we need independent evidence." Contributing: Bart Jansen and Aysha Bagchi, USA TODAY
The Hill
7 minutes ago
- The Hill
Trump insists Hamas is stealing food amid Gaza hunger crisis
President Trump on Sunday said Hamas is stealing food that was meant for people in Gaza, telling reporters multiple times that goods are being stolen when pressed on the hunger crisis in the region. The president, while sitting next to President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen in Turnberry, Scotland, was asked for his response to the images of starving children in Gaza. 'When I see the children and when I see, especially over the last couple of weeks people are stealing the food, they're stealing the money, they're stealing the money for the food. They're stealing weapons, they're stealing everything,' the president said. He added, 'It's a mess, that whole place is a mess. The Gaza strip, you know it was given many years ago so they could have peace. That didn't work out too well.' The Israeli military has reported that there is no proof that the Palestinian militant group had systematically stolen aid. Earlier on Sunday, Israel's military said it will start a 'tactical pause' in fighting in Gaza amid mass starvation concerns. Trump said he spoke recently with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, adding, 'I talked to him about a lot of things. I talked to him about Iran.' He said the U.S. would send more aid into Gaza and pressed other nations to contribute as well, suggesting that would be part of his conversation with der Leyen. And, he reiterated the claims about Hamas stealing food. 'It's not a U.S. problem, it's an international problem,' Trump said on Gaza. 'If we weren't there. I think people would have starved, frankly. They would have starved, and it's not like they're eating well, but a lot of that food is getting stolen by Hamas. They're stealing the food, they're stealing a lot of things. You ship it in and they steal it, then they sell it,' he said. House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) also insisted that Hamas has stolen the food on NBC's 'Meet the Press' on Sunday and noted that Yechiel Leiter, Israel's ambassador to the U.S., and other Israeli officials told him that Hamas has stolen 'a huge amount' of food since the start of the conflict on Oct. 7, 2023. Trump on Sunday said that the U.S. gave $60 million in aid for Gaza two weeks ago, but said that 'nobody even acknowledged it.' 'Nobody acknowledged it, nobody talks about it, and it makes you feel a little bad when you do that, and no other countries give anything,' he said. He said that Israel has to decide what happens next in the Israel-Hamas conflict in Gaza. 'What's going to happen? I don't know,' Trump said. 'Israel's going to have to make a decision. I know what I'd do but I don't think it's appropriate that I say.' The Trump administration last week said it was leaving Gaza ceasefire talks, blaming Hamas for failing to engage in good faith. Steve Witkoff, Trump's special envoy for peace missions, said the administration is considering alternative plans to secure the freedom of Israeli hostages held by Hamas and the future governance of the territory.
Politico
8 minutes ago
- Politico
Mike Johnson pans discharge petition from Massie and Khanna
Another red flag: Johnson told Welker the bill doesn't include 'adequate protections' for Epstein's victims. 'These are minors in many cases who were subjected to unspeakable crimes, abject evil,' Johnson said. 'They've already suffered great harm. We do not need their names being unmasked. The Massie and the Khanna discharge petition does not have adequate protections.' Congressional Republicans have spent the last few weeks grappling with the fallout of the Trump administration's handling of its Epstein investigation. Many of their core supporters are in uproar. And recent pronouncements from the president that the controversy is a hoax perpetrated by 'Radical Left Democrats' have only increased the din. But Johnson insisted the legislative effort from the two lawmakers was not why he adjourned the House a day earlier than planned. Instead, he said the maneuver was necessary because of Democrats seeking to force Epstein votes in the House Rules Committee. 'So what we did do this week is end the chaos in the rules committee because the Democrats are trying to use this in a shameless manner for political purposes, quite obviously,' Johnson said. 'They hijacked the rules committee. And they tried to turn it into an Epstein hearing. That's not what the rules committee is about. So that's why the floor vote ended on Wednesday instead of Thursday.'
