AOC employs former socialist boss to handle campaign cash

First on Fox: A former senior leader and “life member” of the Democratic Socialists of America has been on the campaign payroll of Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., since she first ran for Congress in 2018.

Frank Llewellyn, the former director of America’s largest socialist organization and a founding member of the socialist group that later became DSA’s sister organization, serves as campaign treasurer for Ocasio-Cortez and its political action committee, Courage for Change.

Ocasio-Cortez’s campaign has paid Llewellyn more than $250,000 for payroll, travel and other administrative expenses dating back to 2018, according to Federal Election Commission (FEC) filings. Reviewed by Fox News Digital. Payments range from $77.50 for cell phone, travel and internet stipends and payouts of $1,281 approximately every two weeks.

Besides working on Ocasio-Cortez’s campaign, Llewellyn also sits on the board of the Democratic Socialists of America Fund, a sister organization of the Democratic Socialists. Democratic Socialists of America (DSA), according to the group’s website.

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Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., (left) recruits Frank Llewellyn, former national director of the Democratic Socialists of America. (AP; Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

“Frank Llewellyn was one of the original founders of the Institute for Democratic Socialism, which later became the Democratic Socialists of America Fund.” DSA Fund website He says. “A lifelong activist and socialist, he has served the Democratic Socialists of America in New York City since the organization’s founding. He served on its national political committee and national director for more than ten years.”

Llewellyn was national director of DSA for more than a decade, from 2001 to 2011. Llewellyn confirmed to Fox News Digital that he remains a “life member” of DSA and has been on Ocasio-Cortez’s staff since her first election in 2018.

One of DSA’s most important accomplishments during Llewellyn’s tenure as director was the election of a senator. Bernie SandersI-Vt., in 2006. Llewellyn wrote an article in DSA Magazine celebrating Sanders’ election as the first time in American history that “a self-proclaimed socialist has won a seat in the U.S. Senate.” In the article, Llewellyn detailed DSA’s deep involvement in the Sanders campaign, saying his successful campaign fundraising “is a major accomplishment of which we can be very proud.”

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Sen. Bernie Sanders, D-Vermont, and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., greet the crowd together during the “Fight the Oligarchy” tour at Arizona State University, Thursday, March 20, 2025, in Tempe, Arizona. (Ross D. Franklin)

“In the period ahead, it is important that we use our newly acquired grassroots network and relationships with… Progressive Democrats and Bernie Sanders, to advance both the progressive agenda and progressive organizing.

The organization also later continued to endorse Sanders during his 2016 and 2020 presidential campaigns.

A check of Llewellyn’s social media shows that he is still an active member of the New York City DSA’s Queens chapter. He posts regularly about Ocasio-Cortez and Sanders as well as the socialist candidate for mayor of New York City Zahran Mamdaniis also an active member of DSA. In a 2021 Facebook post, Llewellyn said he was “thrilled to vote to endorse Queens DSA [Mamdani]When he successfully ran for the New York State Assembly

Although Mamdani is leading in the New York City mayoral race by double digits, raising concerns about the rise of socialism in America, a recent national Fox News poll revealed that capitalism remains more popular than socialism. However, voters indicated that they supported increasing taxes on the wealthy.

Fox News Digital I mentioned previously On the DSA’s massive influence on Mamdani’s campaign, including highlighting how DSA members discussed during a panel in July how closely they collaborated with Mamdani and how he put the organization in a position to “seize state power.”

DSA organizer Daniel Golden claimed that the organization was closely involved in Mamdani’s campaign, even helping to write parts of his platform.

“With Zahran, we’re in the best possible position to seize state power that we can be because, you know, that’s how we are,” Golden said, pointing with his fingers that the campaign and organization are very close together.

Golden went on to suggest that “one of the things that made Zahran really successful in spreading his politics was relying specifically on the digital dynamism of the Internet.”“.

AOC and Sanders, both self-proclaimed democratic socialists, have endorsed and promoted Mamdani’s campaign, and will continue to do so. Participate in a march With him next Sunday.

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Senator Bernie Sanders, D-Vermont, and New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani hold hands during a “Fight Oligarchy” event at City Hall at Brooklyn College on September 6, 2025. (Angela Weiss/AFP via Getty Images)

The national DSA organization and its chapters, including NYC-DSA, shared views on many of the issues they have been vocal about, including their disdain for ICE and cracking down on “bad landlords” by having the city seize properties when a landlord refuses to make repairs or “demonstrates persistent neglect” of tenants.

Earlier this year, Ocasio-Cortez and Sanders went on a “Fight the Oligarchy” tour against the “billionaire class and corporate greed,” which mobilized more than 300,000 participants at 34 rallies in 20 states, according to Sanders.

Ocasio-Cortez He faced criticism To collect thousands in boutique hotels during the tour. Sanders also faced backlash after the Fox News Digital podcast Revealed by AOC To travel on private jets, resulting in paying hundreds of thousands of dollars during the tour.

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Fox News Digital reached out to Ocasio-Cortez’s office and DSA for comment, but did not immediately receive a response.

Fox News Digital’s Deirdre Heavey, Andrew Mark Miller and Victoria Ballara contributed to this report.