Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) reported nearly $50,000 in campaign expenditures for hotels, meals, and event-related costs in Puerto Rico during the third quarter, according to newly filed Federal Election Commission (FEC) records. The filings show payments of $680.52 on July 28 for lodging at the Hotel Palacio Provincial, followed by charges of $1,507.26 on Aug. 29 and $9,440.79 on Sept. 29. An additional $3,861.20 went to Hotel El Convento on Aug. 25. Combined, the congresswoman’s campaign spent $15,489.77 on Puerto Rico lodging, with another $10,743.13 listed for meals and catering.
Expenditures included payments exceeding $23,000 for venue rentals at the Coliseo de Puerto Rico on June 24 and Aug. 25. FEC records indicate the events coincided with Ocasio-Cortez attending a Bad Bunny concert in San Juan on Aug. 10, where she appeared alongside Rep. Nydia Velázquez (D-N.Y.). Other notable attendees reportedly included LeBron James, Iggy Azalea, Penélope Cruz, and Austin Butler.
Ocasio-Cortez’s campaign manager, Oliver Hidalgo-Wohlleben, told Fox News the congresswoman “regularly travels to Puerto Rico to support local causes and host events that require both staff and security” and highlighted her “investment in grassroots organizing” on the island and among the Puerto Rican diaspora. The filings also show significant campaign spending on high-end lodging and dining in the U.S., including stops during the “Fighting Oligarchy” tour with Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and meals at restaurants across New York, Vermont, and Washington, D.C. During this period, Ocasio-Cortez and other Democrats faced political scrutiny as the House passed a bipartisan resolution condemning socialism, which passed 285-98.
