Ocasio-Cortez also faces opposition from a long line of Republican candidates. | Mark Wilson/Getty Images Ocasio-Cortez says she'll win reelection by 'kicking ass' at her job

NEW YORK — Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez said she plans to beat back a primary challenge from a centrist Democrat City Council member by showing she can “kick ass” at her job.

Council Member Fernando Cabrera launched his run against Ocasio-Cortez last month, attacking her Democratic Socialist views as out of step with constituents in her Queens and Bronx district.


The firebrand freshman knocked off longtime Rep. Joe Crowley to win her seat last year, and said she plans to run the same kind of campaign this time around.

“I always feel like the best way for me to run is to really kick ass at my job,” she told reporters Wednesday night when asked about her primary challenger. “I aspire to do it better than anyone who’s tried to hold this seat before.”

Ocasio-Cortez also faces opposition from a long line of Republican candidates, but Cabrera is the first established Democratic politician to take her on.

“I continue to run with the same integrity that I ran the first time around. I don’t take corporate money,” she said ahead of a town hall meeting Wednesday at a public school in Pelham Bay in the Bronx. “I’ve never accepted corporate PAC money since I’ve entered into office. I haven’t taken a single meeting with a corporate lobbyist.”

Ocasio-Cortez also said she’s holding off on making an endorsement for the neighboring congressional seat being vacated by Rep. José Serrano. The race has attracted a crowded field, including City Council Member Ruben Diaz Sr., known for his history of anti-gay remarks.

“Coming from grassroots politics myself, I’m very conscious of not trying to put my finger on the scale too early in the race,” Ocasio-Cortez said. “I think it’s really important to allow the movements and the campaigns to blossom ... and then to kind of honor that later on with a potential endorsement.”