Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez accepted a $2,700 donation from billionaire Tom Steyer, who is running as a Democrat for president, according to a 2018 filing uncovered by OpenSecrets.org.
The donation comes after Ocasio-Cortez railed against billionaire money in politics during a campaign event for Sen. Bernie Sanders last week. “For anyone who accuses us for instituting purity tests — it’s called having values,” she said. “It’s called giving a damn. It’s called having standards for your conduct to not be funded by billionaires but to be funded by the people.”
The long-simmering tension between Democratic hopefuls boiled over at the sixth Democratic debate in Los Angeles in December, with Buttigieg and Warren arguing over their donor base and personal wealth. As the Democratic Party attempts to coax working-class voters, candidates have tried to diminish the role that big money plays in their campaigns.
“According to Forbes magazine, I’m literally the only person on this stage who’s not a millionaire or a billionaire,” Buttigieg said.