Well, folks, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) has turned heads with a campaign spending spree nearing $50,000 in Puerto Rico.
According to the New York Post, between July 1 and Sept. 30, 2025, her campaign funds covered high-end hotel stays, lavish meals, and venue costs on the island, all while she’s taken to social media to decry gentrification there, alongside additional spending on the mainland.
Let’s break it down chronologically—starting with June 24, 2025, when her campaign forked over part of a $23,000-plus sum for renting the Coliseo de Puerto Rico in San Juan, with another payment on Aug. 25, though any link to a concert event remains unclear.
Moving to July 28, 2025, the campaign paid $680.52 for a stay at the Hotel Palacio Provincial, a “first-class” and “adults only” venue steeped in early 19th-century colonial charm.
More reservations at the same hotel followed, with $1,507.26 on Aug. 29, 2025, and a staggering $9,440.79 on Sept. 29, 2025, showing a clear preference for upscale digs.
On Aug. 25, 2025, another $3,861.20 went to Hotel El Convento, a historic Puerto Rican property celebrated for its elegant, old-world ambiance, bringing total island lodging costs to $15,489.77 for the quarter.
Food expenses weren’t modest either—$10,743.13 was spent on meals and catering in Puerto Rico on Aug. 25 and Sept. 29, 2025, enough to host quite the banquet.
On Aug. 10, 2025, AOC was seen dancing with Rep. Nydia Velázquez (D-N.Y.) at a Bad Bunny concert in San Juan during his “Residency tour,” mixing campaign work with a splash of entertainment. While her team might argue it’s all business, the optics of such events alongside hefty spending tabs could make even her staunchest supporters pause for thought.
Back on the mainland, during the same third quarter of 2025, her campaign dropped $6,600 on stays at the Hotel Vermont in Burlington, tied partly to her “Fighting Oligarchy” tour with Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.).
Further lodging costs included $2,000 at Manhattan’s Thompson Central Park Hotel and $3,000 at Brooklyn’s Arlo Williamsburg, suggesting luxury isn’t just an island indulgence.
Dining wasn’t cheap either, with $6,300 spent at Ama, an Italian eatery in the Capitol’s Navy Yard, and another $11,500 on meals across Washington, D.C., Vermont, the Bronx, and Latham, N.Y., even stopping at Mr. Ding-a-ling for ice cream.
Her team has a response ready: “She regularly travels to Puerto Rico to support local causes and host events that require both staff and security,” stated Oliver Hidalgo-Wohlleben, campaign manager for Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.
Yet, while supporting causes is commendable, one might question if nearly $50,000 on plush accommodations and dining aligns with the grassroots ethos she champions—especially when preaching against gentrification on the same turf, as first noted by Fox News.
Hidalgo-Wohlleben added, “She is deeply proud of her investment in grassroots organizing and will continue to be active in advocating for both people on the island and the millions of Puerto Ricans in the diaspora.” Admirable words, no doubt, but constituents might wonder if those funds could better serve direct community needs rather than five-star stays—a fair point for any fiscal conservative to ponder.