By Katherine Fung
Senior Writer
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The Republican running to unseat Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez in New York's 14th Congressional District was booed after he tried to interrupt the congresswoman's speech on Thursday.
Jonathan Rinaldi was booed by the crowd after he stood up in the middle of Ocasio-Cortez's speech about the Green New Deal to speak out against her support for Democratic policies like the climate change proposal. He also called on the New York Democrat to debate him.
"My name is Jonathan David Rinaldi and I'm running for Congress against AOC," he began as audience members immediately began booing him.
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As the crowd began yelling over on top of Rinaldi, one attendee was heard shouting at him: "No one is hearing you." After a couple minutes of chaos, the audience began chanting and Rinaldi was seen being escorted out by security.
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Rinaldi did appear to have support from one other audience member, who shouted, "AOC, you sound ridiculous, you scrub!" and who told her, "All you care about is illegal aliens and their votes! You don't care about your constituents."
After Rinaldi was escorted from the room, the congresswoman said from the stage: "Clearly, this community—Astoria, Jackson Heights, also across the Bronx—clearly support progressive immigration policy." Her comments were met with applause from the crowd.
"Thank you!" one crowd member shouted to Ocasio-Cortez before she returned to her presentation.
Newsweek reached out to Ocasio-Cortez via email for comment.
Rinaldi, an anti-vaccine activist who has made headlines for his active sperm donation pastime, unsuccessfully ran for City Council last year, losing to Democrat James Gennaro.
According to his campaign website, he is running on a parental-rights and public safety platform. He is also a proponent of tax cuts.
"Jonathan Rinaldi is committed to instating fiscally responsible economic policies in New York," his website reads. "His goal is to reverse the state's trajectory of wasteful government spending, overregulation of small businesses, and increased taxes. By fostering a business-friendly environment, Jonathan envisions restoring New York's former economic success and creating opportunities for future generations. Join him in his mission to bring about positive change in District 14."
Ocasio-Cortez, a progressive Democrat, was first elected to Congress as part of the blue wave in the 2018 midterms. She defeated 10-term incumbent and Democratic Caucus Chair Representative Joseph Crowley in the Democratic primary that year and was the youngest woman ever elected to Congress at the time. She won re-election in 2020 and 2022 with more than 70 percent of the vote.
The 14th district has not been represented by a Republican since Susan Molinari in 1993.
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