Alabama Congressional candidate Jessica Taylor made waves on Monday by kicking off her 2020 campaign with an advertisement vowing to take on socialist Democrats like Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) and her so-called “Squad.”
“Like you, I’m tired of arrogant socialists like [Ocasio-Cortez] — who has never even run a lemonade stand — telling us how we should live in Alabama, and more government is the answer,” Taylor said in the campaign video.
“I’m a steadfast conservative, a mom, a patriot, a business owner, and job creator, and even though it might trigger a few liberals, I’ll fight to protect life, the Second Amendment, our borders, our military, our families, and President Trump from socialists in the swamp,” she continued. “And I won’t apologize for it.”
As an Alabama conservative, I’m sick of arrogant socialists like @AOC who’ve never even run a lemonade stand trying to tell us how to live in Alabama. Are you? #AL02 pic.twitter.com/IIsqDQLcTt
— Jessica Taylor (@JessicaTaylorAL) October 21, 2019
Taylor, an entrepreneur and wife of a former Alabama state senator, is running for Alabama’s 2nd Congressional District. Rep. Martha Roby (R-AL), who has held the seat since 2010, announced in July that she was resigning at the end of her term.
Roby was first elected to serve after narrowly edging out incumbent Bobby Bright and flipping the district red. She went on to win re-election for a fifth term in 2018, receiving more than 60% of the vote. Alabama’s 2nd Congressional District is considered a Republican stronghold, and Taylor joins an already crowded primary field.
Taylor’s campaign video went viral shortly after it was posted on social media, and the Alabama congressional candidate subsequently appeared on “Fox & Friends” on Tuesday morning to discuss her platform.
On @foxandfriends this morning I highlighted my conservative campaign platform. We need to take socialism head-on with conservative squad of our own! I'm pro-life, pro-#2A, pro-wall, & pro-TRUMP and I won't apologize for it!
Join the new squad: https://t.co/Xrpw8ioCjm #AL02 pic.twitter.com/9MRoYt9XB4
— Jessica Taylor (@JessicaTaylorAL) October 22, 2019
“I think now is the right time for me to fill this slot because we need a new generation of conservatives, folks who can go toe-to-toe with people like AOC and her squad who believe socialism is a legitimate ideology that our nation should embrace,” Taylor told Fox News host Brian Kilmeade. “I’m pro-life, pro-second amendment, pro-wall, and pro-Trump.”
The “Squad” refers to Ocasio-Cortez, a self-proclaimed “radical,” and three of her progressive House colleagues, Reps. Ilhan Omar (D-MN), Rashida Tlaib (D-MI), and Ayanna Pressley (D-MA). The freshmen quartet are considered among the most far-left members in the House of Representatives and have largely voted as a bloc. The Squad, however, has been embroiled in allegations of anti-Semitism and anti-American sentiments since even prior to taking office.
“We need somebody who can convince my generation and others that more government is not the answer, more government is the problem,” Taylor said. “This country was founded on small business and private citizens who can make a difference. More government is not what we need.”
Taylor introduced herself to constituents as the candidate that will create her own “Squad” that will promote conservative values, and further noted that she initially decided to run for Congress due to her concern over the spread of socialism in America.
“We have got to get back to our fundamental values – our freedom is at stake here,” Taylor said. “So we’re going to be talking about that on the campaign trail. We’d love for folks to follow us.”