Dem-turned-GOP congressman fires back at AOC’s ‘coalition government’ proposal

FIRST ON FOX: New Jersey Republican Rep. Jeff Van Drew, a former Democrat, fired back at democratic socialist Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s, D-N.Y., ‘coalition government’ proposal.

Ocasio-Cortez floated that House GOP Leader Kevin McCarthy of California didn’t have enough support of the Republican caucus to take the speakership and needed to negotiate with Democrats in a ‘coalition government’ to secure it.

Van Drew torched that idea, telling Fox News Digital that if ‘Democrats want a coalition government, then they should have won the majority.’

‘Republicans need to pick a Speaker and we will, but it will absolutely not be a Democrat,’ Van Drew told Fox News Digital on Wednesday. ‘The American people elected Republicans to the majority of the House to save the America we know and love, so we must deliver on all the promises we made.’

‘Republicans need to stop nominating a member who has no intentions on becoming Speaker and actually elect a strong conservative who will deliver results for the American people,’ he added.

Ocasio-Cortez said on Tuesday that she does ‘not believe that Kevin McCarthy has the votes’ to become speaker.

‘I believe that a lot of the opposition to him is very personal. I believe his leadership style is incompatible with a lot of Republican members and certainly the Democratic Caucus.’ Ocasio-Cortez said.

‘So the question is, is there anyone in their caucus that can build that consensus? If there isn’t, McCarthy’s team may have to come to the Democratic Party? And, if that’s the case, then what would that even look like. It’s rather unprecedented? Could it result in a potential coalition government?’ Ocasio-Cortez asked.

‘Could we get Democratic chairs of committees as a result?’ she wondered aloud. 

The House is expected to vote for the second day in a row in an attempt to elect a speaker on Wednesday.

McCarthy and his allies are facing a dug-in opposition spearheaded by GOP Reps. Matt Gaetz of Florida and Lauren Boebert of Colorado that saw 20 Republican members vote for Rep. Jim Jordan of Ohio over the caucus leader.

The GOP leader can only afford to lose four votes in his quest for speaker, and will need to convince 16 of the holdouts to join him in order to win outright.