Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s re-election campaign spent thousands of dollars on upscale hotels and luxury transportation services outside her New York congressional district, prompting critics to accuse the Democrat of “living large on the donors’ dime.”
The campaign paid more than $17,600 for 12 hotel stays nationwide between July and September, according to expenditure records reviewed by the Daily Mail. The spending comes amid speculation that Ocasio-Cortez could consider a Senate or presidential bid in 2028.
The filings were released as Ocasio-Cortez advances her “fight the oligarchy” message and show payments to boutique properties, historic landmark hotels and upscale national brands.
“In the dictionary next to the definition of ‘Champagne socialist’ is a photo of AOC blowing $17,000 on luxury hotels while railing against the rich,” a longtime Republican adviser told the Daily Mail.
“Nothing screams ‘fight the oligarchy’ like living large on the donors’ dime.”
The largest lodging payment was $5,044.26 to The Memphian, an “eclectic style” luxury boutique hotel in Memphis, Tennessee’s Overton Square district. The property features custom-designed furnishings, rainfall showers and in-room espresso machines.
The campaign also spent $2,694.61 at Atlanta’s Candler Hotel. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the downtown property was built by Coca-Cola founder Asa Griggs Candler and includes Beaux-Arts architecture, marble staircases and amenities such as Balmain bath products.
Other notable expenses included $2,136.73 at Canopy by Hilton Grand Rapids Downtown, which features a Dutch-accented indoor-outdoor rooftop bar and beer garden; $1,768.37 at Hilton Chicago O’Hare; and $1,617.63 at The Westin Southfield Detroit.
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s re-election campaign spent thousands of dollars on hotels across the country between July and September, as speculation continues over her political ambitions
The campaign’s 12 hotel stays totaled more than $17,600, including a $5,044 payment to The Memphian in Memphis, Tennessee, according to the expenditure records
Additional out-of-district lodging expenses included $1,280 at the Renaissance Montgomery in Alabama and $868.66 at the Edgewater Missoula, a Hilton Tapestry Collection property in Montana.
In New York, the campaign spent $842.40 at the Concorde Hotel and $536.57 at Hotel Indigo Flushing. Other hotel payments included $353.26 at CitizenM Washington DC Capitol, $296.58 at The Talbott Hotel in Chicago and $226.31 at CitizenM Hotel in Los Angeles.
Overall, the records show that the 12 hotel stays cost the campaign more than $17,600.
The filings also list payments for private transportation and chauffeur services. The expenditures come as Ocasio-Cortez works to support progressive candidates in down-ballot midterm races and strengthen her influence within the Democratic Party.
Several payments to BlackLane GmbH, a global premium chauffeur and luxury car service, totaled $1,406. The campaign also paid $123.75 to Singh Car Service, which describes itself as a black-car company focused on “trust, professionalism, discretion and reliable private transportation.”
Earlier this year, the campaign spent more than $750 on Singh Car Service and another $1,791 with Golden Class Limo. The New York-based company calls itself a luxury ground-transportation provider offering chauffeured black-car services.
“In order to fight the oligarchy, you apparently need to stay in nice hotels like the oligarchy?” longtime Republican strategist Mark Bednar told the Daily Mail.
DON’T MISS: Macron Has One Last Chance to Save France, Business Owner Warns
“When AOC sends fundraising emails that say fight the oligarchy and donate today, those donations are funding thousands and thousands of dollars of luxury hotel stays. Must be empowering to small-dollar donors to know their donations are being used for that.”
Ocasio-Cortez’s campaign spent $2,694.61 at The Candler Hotel in Atlanta, according to the latest expenditure records reviewed by the Daily Mail
The largest lodging payment was $5,044.26 to The Memphian, an “eclectic style” luxury boutique hotel in Memphis, Tennessee
The campaign also logged $1,617.63 at The Westin Southfield Detroit, records show
‘Don’t be surprised if Democratic contenders for 2028 see these numbers and take note,’ he added.
AOC’s latest campaign filing continues an ongoing trend of her campaign spending tens of thousands of dollars on luxury hotels and other high-end services outside her district.
Last year, Ocasio-Cortez’s campaign dropped over $53,000 in Puerto Rico and American cities on luxury hotels, Fox News Digital previously reported.
According to the disclosures, the campaign shelled out more than $15,000 across two upscale San Juan hotels while Bad Bunny was in town for his ‘Residency’ tour, plus an additional $10,500 for catering and food.
Her campaign’s 2025 expenses also included The Langham Huntington in Pasadena, Las Vegas’s Vdara Hotel & Spa, Virginia’s Lansdowne Resort, the Westdrift Manhattan Beach, and the Hyatt Grand Central near her Queens district.
The recent spending filings, which come off the back of AOC’s ‘tax the rich’ and ‘fight the oligarchy’ campaigns, have led critics to blast the Democrat as a ‘champagne socialist’
The Democrat darling’s campaign coughed up the hefty hotel stays across the country as speculations swirls she is eyeing a potential Senate or presidential run in 2028. AOC is pictured above with Sen. Bernie Sanders at a campaign event for Michigan Democratic candidate for Senate Abdul El-Sayed
The campaign also spent over $3,100 at Salt Lake City’s four-star Asher Adams Hotel, with many of the accommodations aligning with stops on AOC’s 2025 ‘Fight Oligarchy’ tour where AOC was slammed after being caught riding on at least one private jet.
The Bernie Sanders campaign spent over $550,000 on private jets last year during the same tour, Fox News Digital previously reported.
AOC’s campaign manager, Oliver Hidalgo-Wohlleben, previously told Fox News Digital that AOC ‘regularly travels to Puerto Rico to support local causes and host events that require both staff and security.’
‘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,’ he continued.
The Daily Mail reached out to AOC’s campaign multiple times for comment on the most recent luxury hotel expenses, but did not hear back by press time.