Jill Stein hits back after AOC says her bids for the White House are 'predatory'

Green Party presidential candidate Jill Stein is hitting back after New York Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez said her campaign, which has attacked Joe Biden and Kamala Harris for not being far left enough, "reads as predatory."

Ocasio-Cortez, also known as AOC, has frequently questioned and criticized the country's two-party system but said that Stein's multiple attempts at the White House are "not serious." She goes on to blast Stein's "bad leadership," blaming her for the small number of Green Party candidates elected to local and state offices since she first became the party's presidential nominee 12 years ago.

"All you do is show up once every four years to speak to people who are justifiably pissed off, but you're just showing up once every four years to do that, you're not serious," AOC said. "To me, it does not read as authentic. It reads as predatory."

The Green Party currently has more than 100 elected officials across the nation, "mostly at the municipal level," according to its website. Stein responded to Ocasio-Cortez in a post on X, formerly Twitter, alleging Green candidates have won "1400 elections" while the Democratic Party sues to keep third-party candidates off ballots and lock them out of debates.

"So which party is authentic, and which is predatory?" Stein wrote.

Who is Jill Stein?

The Green Party selected Stein as its presidential nominee in 2012, 2016, and 2024, opting for activist Howie Hawkins in 2020. Stein also ran unsuccessful third-party campaigns to become Massachusetts's governor in 2002 and 2010.

Before entering politics, Stein worked as a physician and professor at Harvard Medical School. She became an environmental health activist after noticing pollution was negatively affecting some of her patients.

Like AOC, she labels Palestinians as victims of "a genocide" and is an outspoken critic of American support for Israel's war on Gaza. In April, she was arrested while participating in an anti-war demonstration at Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri.

How is Jill Stein's campaign affecting the 2024 race?

Ocasio-Cortez's comments come a few weeks after Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. suspended his campaign and endorsed Republican nominee Donald Trump.

As Kennedy tries to get off ballots, Stein continues to fight for ballot access in all 50 states and voting territories.

While Stein's impact on the 2024 general election is still yet to be determined, she drew backlash from Democrats in 2016, who accused her of drawing crucial votes away from Hillary Clinton in key swing states.

Rachel Barber is a 2024 election fellow at USA TODAY, focusing on politics and education. Follow her on X, formerly Twitter, at @rachelbarber_

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: AOC and Jill Stein argue over Green Party presidential campaign