Former Rep. Joe Crowley (D-N.Y.) says that progressive Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez's (D-N.Y.) election win in 2018 was due, in part, to former President Donald Trump's electoral victory just two years prior.
The ex-congressman said during a recent interview on the "Pro Politics with Zac McCary" podcast that his loss to Ocasio-Cortez in the Democratic primary in 2018 was a result of a "confluence of things that have happened at the time," including Trump's 2016 presidential election win.
"I have a better, real clear understanding of just how powerful the election of Donald Trump was," Crowley said.
He continued, "In many respects, it lit the fire onto the base of our party, and I think that’s a good thing in many respects, you know. Maybe personally, it didn't work out for me, but I think he created the energy we needed to oust him as president in four years."
Crowley also spoke on his defeat to the progressive "Squad" member after serving in Congress for 20 years.
"You know, I never owned the seat in that congressional district," he said. "A congressional district is not owned by any one person. It was owned by the people of the 14th Congressional District."
He said he views his time in public service "very fondly," noting that it changed his and his family's lives.
"I had an incredible 20-year career in the House of Representatives, and I look back very fondly on my years of service, the people I got to meet, to know. It changed my life, my family’s lives. I look back with nothing but fondness and admiration for the people that I worked with," Crowley said.
Ocasio-Cortez has been a vocal critic of Trump since she took office. The congresswoman's attacks on the former president include calling him a "racist visionary" in 2020. She has also suggested blacklisting Trump's supporters.