Amid increasing threats to US lawmakers, American politician Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez said the danger to her life was "very real", as she pointed out to political violence in the US, which just underwent Midterm elections.
Appearing on CNN's "Who's Talking to Chris Wallace", Ms Ocasio-Cortez said she felt her life was in danger ever since her victory in New York's 14th congressional district election in 2018 and further “intensified” after she joined Congress.
"When I wake up in the morning, I hesitate to walk my dog. It means when I come home, I have to ask my fiance to come out to where my car is to walk me just from my car to my front door,” said Ms Ocasio-Cortez, who in January 2019, was sworn in as the youngest woman ever to serve in Congress.
"It is a very real dynamic, and very unfortunately and tragically, we've seen political violence play out," she said when asked if her life was in danger.
"It means that there's just – a general disposition where you kind of feel like there's almost a static electricity around you," CNN quoted her as saying.
Ms Ocasio-Cortez, who has been reelected from 14th District in New York, said living in constant threat for life has influenced her political journey.
Her comments come in the wake of the attack on US Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi's husband Paul Pelosi. On October 28, 2022, Paul Pelosi was attacked by a man, causing serious injuries, including a skull fracture for which he underwent surgery.
Following the attack on Pelosi, and ahead of the midterm elections, US President Joe Biden called upon Americans to stand up for democracy.
“My fellow Americans, we're facing a defining moment, an inflection point. And we must — with one overwhelming, unified voice — speak as a country and say there is no place — no place — for voter intimidation or political violence in America, whether it's directed at Democrats or Republicans,” Mr Biden said in his November 2 address.
