Democratic Senator Questions Merits of AOC and Bernie Sanders As Party Infighting Escalates: 'What Have They Actually Done?'

Democratic Senator Elissa Slotkin (D-Mich.) has publicly questioned the effectiveness of the opposition to President Donald Trump carried out by progressive lawmakers Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) and Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), underscoring growing tensions within the Party.

Speaking at a town hall this week, Slotkin responded to constituents demanding stronger resistance to President Donald Trump by challenging the track record of the party's left wing. "Everyone you mentioned has a lot of words, but what have they actually done to change the situation with Donald Trump?" Slotkin said.

The lawmaker went on to emphasize the need for a pragmatic approach, particularly in politically diverse states like Michigan. "I can't do what [AOC] does, because we live in a purple state and I'm a pragmatist," Slotkin stated. "Things require me to be more than just an AOC," said the Senator according to The Hill.

Part of her comments at the town hall were aired by CNN:

Slotkin voted against a House GOP-crafted spending bill that cut nondefense programs by $13 billion, a bill that passed the Senate with the support of Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and nine other Senate Democrats. The vote has drawn criticism from progressives, with Ocasio-Cortez calling support for the bill "a huge slap in the face."

While Slotkin and other moderates defend compromise to avoid government shutdowns, Ocasio-Cortez and Sanders are currently leading a national campaign to rally a more fervient opposition to Trump's agenda.

Dubbed the "Fighting Oligarchy" tour, the pair have visited states including Arizona and Colorado, advocating for working-class engagement and warning of concentrated political power. "There's an extreme concentration of power and corruption that is taking over this country like never before," Ocasio-Cortez said at an event in Las Vegas.

Sanders has gone further, encouraging progressives to consider independent runs for office. "If there's any hope for the Democratic Party, it is that they're going to have to reach out — open the doors and let working-class people in," he told The New York Times. "If not, people will be running as independents, I think, all over the country."