Although Crowley has not publicly expressed plans to succeed Nancy Pelosi as the top Democrat in the House, he’s been hard at work behind the scenes making his case. | Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images Crowley, Ocasio-Cortez argue future of the Democratic party in first and only primary debate

Rep. Joe Crowley defended his standing as a longtime Democratic leader in his first and only primary debate Friday against insurgent primary challenger Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, as both tried to lay claim to the future of the party.

The two Queens Democrats espoused similar beliefs, but the debate laid out their differences in stark relief.


Crowley, 56, is of Irish descent, has held his seat in New York’s 14th Congressional District since the late 90s and holds the fourth-highest ranking position in House Democratic leadership. It is an open secret that he has ambitions to be speaker, should his party retake the House.

But back home in Queens he is facing his first primary challenge in more than a decade from Ocasio-Cortez, a 28-year-old former organizer for the Bernie Sanders campaign whose Puerto Rican roots go back three generations in the Bronx.

The debate Friday, hosted by NY1’s Errol Louis, was largely civil, but showcased the competing faces of a party seeking to renew itself in opposition to President Donald Trump.

“For 20 years our rents have been going up, healthcare has been getting more expensive and our incomes are staying the same,” Ocasio-Cortez said in her opening statement. “Not all Democrats are the same and I am proud to be the only Democrat in this race that rejects all corporate money and champions and advances improved and expanded Medicare for all, a federal jobs guarantee, tuition free public college and the abolition of ICE."

Ocasio-Cortez is, by any measure, an underdog in the race against one of the city’s and the House’s most powerful Democrats. According to the latest campaign filings available, Ocasio-Cortez has raised $312,881 and has $105,946 on hand. Crowley has raised $3.4 million and has just more than $1 million to spend.

Moreover, Crowley is one of the last and most influential of New York City’s political bosses, presiding over the Queens County Democratic Party which most recently was instrumental in securing City Council Speaker Corey Johnson’s leadership role.

That was one of Ocasio-Cortez’s central lines of attack Friday night.

“I just think it’s completely inappropriate to be chairman of a local Democratic party — imagine if Hillary Clinton or Bernie Sanders was the chairman of the national [Democratic National Committee] while responsible for their own endorsements and the endorsement of others," she said.

Crowley defended his standing in the party, saying that during his time as head of the Queens Democrats he’s helped multiple candidates of color get elected, ensuring the district's and city's leaders represent their constituencies.

“I am very proud of my record of electing progressive Democrats in Queens County whether it’s in the judiciary or elected office. Virtually every person in Queens County is a Democrat — in no small part because of my efforts,” Crowley said.

As Queens County's power broker, Crowley helped elect Rep. Grace Meng, the first Asian American elected to the House of Representatives from the East Coast. He also supported then Assemblyman Francisco Moya — the first Ecuadorian elected to state office who now serves in the City Council.

Crowley said his work to elect candidates extends beyond the boundaries of Queens, as he travels across the country to help elect and raise money for other Democrats as part of an effort to flip the house.

“I’m very proud of that and I’m very proud of the work that I do nationally. As a Congressman I’ve been helping Democrats in my boroughs, in Bronx and Queens anyway but I have always taken on the road to help other Democrats win because I think it’s critical facing what we are today with this president that we win back the House of Representatives at all costs," Crowley said.

Ocasio-Cortez argued that Crowley is no longer a good representation of the Queens and Bronx district a majority of people of color call home — many of whom feel directly targeted by the Trump administration.

As part of her campaign, she has called for the abolition of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency, an agency designation formed in the wake of 9/11, calling it a “fascist” organization that terrorizes immigrant communities in New York.

Although Crowley agreed with Ocasio-Cortez’s characterization of the agency, he stopped short of saying the department should be eliminated as it would do little to help fix the broken immigration system.

“Simply abolishing the agency doesn’t take it out of the hands of [Attorney General] Jeff Sessions or this president," Crowley said. “We know it’s about making change in Washington it’s about Democrats taking back the House of Representatives and that’s what I’m about doing."

Although Crowley has not publicly expressed plans to succeed Nancy Pelosi as the top Democrat in the House, he’s been hard at work behind the scenes making his case.

“My intention is to support Nancy Pelosi,” Crowley said when asked who he would support to lead the party in Congress.

Much of Friday’s debate focused on each candidate’s effort to present themselves as the face of their district while promising to oppose Trump’s agenda.

To that end, Ocasio-Cortez has levied a steady attack against Crowley, pointing out that he lives in a house just outside of Washington D.C. where he’s been raising his family and kids for the last several years.

Crowley did not directly answer a question about why his family does not live in the district, but said his presence in Queens remains a constant — a point the Ocasio-Cortez campaign disputes.

“If a person loves their community they would choose to raise their family here, they would choose to send their kids to our schools, they would chose to drink our water and breathe our air," Ocasio-Cortez said. "I think that it takes away a fundamental interest and understanding of our communities when we raise our families somewhere else."