AOC says Pelosi, Schumer need to go, but warns of Democratic power vacuum

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez believes the Democratic Party needs new leaders.

The progressive firebrand said it's time for House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer to go — but warned of a power vacuum that could be filled by "nefarious forces" who are "even more conservative" than the caucuses' current leaders during a podcast interview on "The Intercept" that aired Thursday. 

"I do think we need new leadership in the Democratic Party," Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., said. "I think one of the things that I have struggled with, I think that a lot of people struggle with, is the internal dynamics of the House has made it such that there [are] very little options for succession." 

Pelosi, 80, sailed to reelection as speaker in a virtual caucus vote last month despite a spate of Democratic losses in the 2020 election, a night in which the party expected to see big wins but instead suffered some surprising defeats. While she did not face any challenges, Pelosi will need to secure a simple majority - 218 Democratic votes - by the full House of Representatives in order to maintain her gavel.

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