Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Fires Back At Condescending Republican Congressman

We're pretty sure Republicans are not ready for a girl from the Bronx.

New York congressional candidate and rising political star Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez hit back at Rep. Ron DeSantis from Florida after he condescendingly referred to her as "this girl Ocasio-Cortez or whatever she is."

During a campaign event in Orange Park, FL this weekend, the Republican gubernatorial candidate said: "You look at this girl Ocasio-Cortez or whatever she is, I mean, she’s in a totally different universe. It’s basically socialism wrapped in ignorance." A clip of the event was first reported by HuffPo on Monday.

Ocasio-Cortez, who is 28 and a Democratic socialist, tweeted in response: "Rep DeSantis, it seems you're confused as to 'whatever I am.' I am a Puerto Rican woman. It's strange you don’t know what that is, given that ~75,000 Puerto Ricans have relocated to Florida in the 10 mos since María. But I’m sure these new FL voters appreciate your comments!"

Nearly 75,000 Puerto Ricans have moved to Florida after Hurricane Maria devastated the island last September. Democrats and Republicans alike expect boricuas to be a powerful voting bloc in upcoming elections, particularly in the Sunshine State, though it's unclear if they will show up to the polls.

DeSantis has tried to make the case that Puerto Ricans are "natural Republicans," but some of his fellow party members have argued against allowing Puerto Rican evacuees who relocated stateside to vote in federal elections — even though they're natural-born U.S. citizens.

After defeating 10-term incumbent and Democratic household name Rep. Joe Crowley, Ocasio-Cortez has become a household name herself — which has led to conservatives like DeSantis to try to use her as a political punching bag even if her congressional race has nothing to do with his own gubernatorial bid.

If anything, DeSantis showed intellectual laziness that should give constituents pause. "Why argue against ideas when you can just mock and dismiss a woman based on her age?" is not a sound campaign strategy. Puerto Ricans and other voters are surely to see through his idiotez.