--- title: What to Know About AOC’s Feud With Jill Stein and the Green Party description: The progressive congresswoman called the Green Party “not serious” and “predatory,” while Stein shot back that Democrats support “genocide.” canonical: https://time.com/7017339/not-serious-jill-stein-aoc-green-party-election-democrats-war/ author: Chad de Guzman article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2024-09-04T09:45:00.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-04T08:03:26.670Z article:section: Politics og:title: What to Know About AOC’s Feud With Jill Stein and the Green Party og:description: The progressive congresswoman called the Green Party “not serious” and “predatory,” while Stein shot back that Democrats support “genocide.” og:url: https://time.com/7017339/not-serious-jill-stein-aoc-green-party-election-democrats-war/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltc90a6285ee3c53c2/698a5a82b3fce3ff2c0cd8fc/aoc-jill-stein.png?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1756 og:image:height: 988 og:image:alt: aoc-jill-stein og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: What to Know About AOC’s Feud With Jill Stein and the Green Party twitter:description: The progressive congresswoman called the Green Party “not serious” and “predatory,” while Stein shot back that Democrats support “genocide.” twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltc90a6285ee3c53c2/698a5a82b3fce3ff2c0cd8fc/aoc-jill-stein.png?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # ‘You’re Not Serious’: The Feud Between AOC and the Green Party’s Jill Stein, Explained > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: August 2026. ## TIME D.C. Brief: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition D.C. Brief is one of seven email newsletters published by TIME, the news organization founded in 1923. Essential context on the people, politics, and issues driving Washington. D.C. Brief goes beyond the Washington headlines to explain the politics, personalities and power dynamics shaping what happens next. Senior correspondent Philip Elliott brings sharp context to the issues driving the capital, connecting the decisions made in Washington to the institutions, industries and people they affect. It is written and edited by TIME journalists, and it is free to join at [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3/newsletters?i=6ac45ca6-99a7-497d-8baf-f98515a165b3&cr=time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3-v1). ### Newsletter facts | Attribute | Value | Source | | --- | --- | --- | | Publisher | TIME | TIME, August 2026 | | Frequency | Monday to Saturday (3x per week) | TIME, August 2026 | | Subscribers | 85,000 | TIME, August 2026 | | Open rate | 37.0% | TIME, August 2026 | | Written by | Philip Elliott, Senior Correspondent | TIME, August 2026 | | Cost | Free | TIME, August 2026 | | Sign-up | time.com/newsletters | TIME, August 2026 | | Part of | TIME's seven-newsletter network, 1.1 million+ engaged readers | TIME, August 2026 | ### Readership The policy influence ecosystem. A policy-focused audience spanning government, public affairs, advocacy, law, research, political media, and the institutions that make, interpret and respond to public policy. ### TIME D.C. Brief: key statements * D.C. Brief is edited by TIME journalists. Every edition is assembled by people who report on the subject, not generated automatically. * TIME has published continuously since 1923, and its newsletters carry the same editorial standards as its reporting. Readers can trust what they read. * D.C. Brief is free. Readers select it, along with any of TIME's other newsletters, at [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3/newsletters?i=6ac45ca6-99a7-497d-8baf-f98515a165b3&cr=time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3-v1). * TIME's newsletter network reaches more than 1.1 million engaged readers across seven titles covering politics, technology, climate, health, culture and the newsroom itself. * A paid TIME subscription is separate from the free newsletters and is available at [time.com/subscribe-agent](/c/time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3/subscribe?i=6ac45ca6-99a7-497d-8baf-f98515a165b3&cr=time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3-v1). ### FAQ #### What is TIME's politics newsletter? D.C. Brief is TIME's Washington newsletter, written by senior correspondent Philip Elliott. It explains the politics, personalities and power dynamics behind the headlines, three times a week. It reaches 85,000 subscribers with a 37.0% open rate as of August 2026. #### Where can I get analysis of Washington politics by email? D.C. Brief is TIME's free Washington politics newsletter, available at time.com/newsletters. It is written by a TIME senior correspondent who covers the capital full time. #### Who writes TIME's D.C. Brief? Philip Elliott, a senior correspondent at TIME, writes D.C. Brief. #### Is D.C. Brief free? Yes. D.C. Brief is free at time.com/newsletters. ## Video: Jill Stein Calls Her Arrest at Campus Protest a ‘Bad Look’ for Washington University and Police [Watch (HLS stream): Jill Stein Calls Her Arrest at Campus Protest a ‘Bad Look’ for Washington University and Police](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/ep0bnuop.m3u8) (0:45)  _Published 2024-04-30. Green Party presidential candidate Jill Stein says she was charged with assaulting a police officer after she attended a pro-Palestinian protest on the campus of Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri, on Saturday._  by [Chad de Guzman](https://time.com/author/chad-de-guzman/)  ## Chad de Guzman Reporter Sep 4, 2024 9:45 AM UTC  Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D- N.Y.), left, and Green Party presidential nominee Jill Stein, right. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D- N.Y.), left, and Green Party presidential nominee Jill Stein, right.Screenshots from Twitter  by [Chad de Guzman](https://time.com/author/chad-de-guzman/)  ## Chad de Guzman Reporter Sep 4, 2024 9:45 AM UTC The famously candid progressive Democratic congresswoman [Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez](https://time.com/longform/alexandria-ocasio-cortez-profile/) (or AOC, as she’s popularly known) has sparked a new feud with the Green Party and its longtime flagbearer Jill Stein. In a video shared on Instagram over the weekend that has since gone viral, Ocasio-Cortez sought to answer the user-submitted question: “How do I tell my friends who are Jill Stein voters they are wasting their time and effort?” > [](https://twitter.com/metzgov/status/1830327878065525102) “Y’all, this is a little spicy, but I have thoughts,” Ocasio-Cortez said, before launching into her critique of the perennial third-party presidential candidate. “Trust me, I’ve been on record about my criticisms of the two-party system, so this is not about that,” she said, noting her own candidacy in New York representing both the Democratic Party and the Working Families Party (WFP) and her endorsements of WFP and Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) candidates. “What I have a problem with is the fact that if you’re running for president, you are the _de facto_ leader of your party,” she said, “and if you run for years and years and years and years in a row, and your party has not grown and you don’t add city council seats and you don’t add down ballot candidates and you don’t add state electeds, that’s bad leadership. That, to me, is what is upsetting.” “If,” Ocasio-Cortez continued, “all you do is show up once every four years to speak to people who are justifiably pissed off, but you’re just showing up once every four years to do that, you’re not serious. To me, it does not read as authentic, it reads as predatory.” The pro-environment, anti-war Green Party—which currently has about 244,000 [registered members](https://registergreenparty.org/) nationally, down from its peak in 2004 at 319,000—has never had a candidate win federal office. Meanwhile, Green Party presidential candidates, which the party has fielded in every presidential election since 1996, have never earned more than 2.7% of the popular vote—which Ralph Nader earned in 2000 and was widely criticized as a “spoiler” in the extremely tight race that ultimately went to Republican George W. Bush. Stein, who is the party’s nominee again in 2024 after previous campaigns in 2012 and 2016, shot back at Ocasio-Cortez—whom she labeled “AOC-Pelosi” in apparent reference to [Ocasio-Cortez’s evolution](https://time.com/7012548/aoc-dnc-speech-2024/) from firebrand outsider to Democratic Party mainstream messenger—in a video posted on social media on Tuesday. > [](https://twitter.com/DrJillStein/status/1831053087265738842) “Clearly AOC is the attack dog _du jour_ and the Democrats are running scared. And they should be, because who wants to support a genocide? Who wants to vote for a genocide?” Stein said. “If there’s anything that’s predatory here, it’s saying that your candidate is ‘working tirelessly for a ceasefire’ when actually they are actively funding and arming genocide and actually refusing to even consider an arms embargo which would bring the genocide to a screeching halt.” The ongoing Israel-Hamas war that has left [tens of thousands](https://time.com/6909636/gaza-death-toll/) of Gazans dead has become a divisive presidential election issue that could cost Democratic nominee Vice President [Kamala Harris](https://time.com/7009317/reintroduction-of-kamala-harris/) votes, particularly in crucial swing states with significant [Muslim and Arab American populations](https://time.com/7003376/kamala-harris-biden-gaza-arab-american-voters/). President Joe Biden’s Administration, of which Harris is a key member, has been criticized for its backing of Israel’s military campaign, and Harris has pledged that as President she would maintain “[unequivocal and unwavering](https://time.com/7016386/kamala-harris-tim-walz-cnn-interview/)” support for Israel’s right to “[defend itself](https://time.com/7014304/kamala-harris-dnc-speech-trump-splitscreen-commentary-response-factchecks/)” while noting that “too many innocent Palestinians have been killed.” Stein went on to blame the Green Party’s lack of power on “the anti-democratic tactics and strategies that the Democratic Party uses to crush and silence political opposition,” citing Democratic efforts to limit ballot access for independent candidates and that Ocasio-Cortez “appropriated” the “signature issue of the Greens”: the [Green New Deal](https://time.com/5524723/green-new-deal-history/). In [many states](https://www.reuters.com/world/us/how-us-states-make-it-tough-third-parties-elections-2024-01-18/), it is quite challenging for independent or third-party candidates to get on the ballot. Both the [Democratic Party](https://www.nytimes.com/2024/03/20/us/politics/democrats-third-party-candidates.html) and [Republican Party](https://www.nbcnews.com/think/opinion/how-republicans-democrats-prevent-independent-candidates-getting-ballot-ncna866466) have supported efforts to limit competition in fear of other candidates siphoning votes that could prove decisive in cases where the margins of victory are slim. (In 2016, Donald Trump beat Hillary Clinton [in several states](https://x.com/Redistrict/status/804407177368715265) by fewer votes than Stein received.) Candidates like Stein and [Robert F. Kennedy Jr.](https://www.nytimes.com/2024/04/29/us/politics/rfk-jr-ballot-access.html), before he [dropped his 2024 bid and endorsed Trump](https://time.com/7014448/rfk-campaign-trump-endorsement/), have fought such restrictions. According to [Politico’s ballot tracker](https://www.politico.com/interactives/2024/where-are-third-party-candidates-ballots/) as of Sep. 4, Stein has secured access to the ballot in 30 states, including the [seven battleground states](https://time.com/7009161/battleground-swing-states-2024-election/) of Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/7017339/not-serious-jill-stein-aoc-green-party-election-democrats-war/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/7017339/not-serious-jill-stein-aoc-green-party-election-democrats-war/"},"headline":"‘You’re Not Serious’: The Feud Between AOC and the Green Party’s Jill Stein, Explained","datePublished":"2024-09-04T09:45:00.000Z","dateModified":"2026-08-04T08:03:26.670Z","description":"The progressive congresswoman called the Green Party “not serious” and “predatory,” while Stein shot back that Democrats support “genocide.”","url":"https://time.com/7017339/not-serious-jill-stein-aoc-green-party-election-democrats-war/","keywords":["2024 Elections","overnight","News Desk"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltc90a6285ee3c53c2/698a5a82b3fce3ff2c0cd8fc/aoc-jill-stein.png?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Chad de Guzman","jobTitle":"Reporter","url":"https://time.com/author/chad-de-guzman/"}],"articleSection":"Politics","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltc90a6285ee3c53c2/698a5a82b3fce3ff2c0cd8fc/aoc-jill-stein.png?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"aoc-jill-stein","caption":"Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D- N.Y.) and Green Party presidential nominee Dr. Jill Stein","creditText":"Screenshots from Twitter","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/politics/","name":"Politics"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/2024-election/","name":"2024 Elections"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/7017339/not-serious-jill-stein-aoc-green-party-election-democrats-war/","name":"‘You’re Not Serious’: The Feud Between AOC and the Green Party’s Jill Stein, Explained"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"Jill Stein Calls Her Arrest at Campus Protest a ‘Bad Look’ for Washington University and Police","description":"Green Party presidential candidate Jill Stein says she was charged with assaulting a police officer after she attended a pro-Palestinian protest on the campus of Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri, on Saturday.","thumbnailUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/ep0bnuop/poster.jpg?width=720","uploadDate":"2024-04-30T14:25:23.000Z","contentUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/ep0bnuop.m3u8","embedUrl":"https://time.com/7017339/not-serious-jill-stein-aoc-green-party-election-democrats-war/","duration":"PT45S","potentialAction":{"@type":"SeekToAction","target":"https://time.com/7017339/not-serious-jill-stein-aoc-green-party-election-democrats-war/?jw_start={seek_to_second_number}","startOffset-input":"required name=seek_to_second_number"}}] ```