AOC caught off guard when asked by TMZ whether she'd ever date a conservative after reported split from fiancé

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., was caught off guard when the progressive lawmaker was asked by TMZ whether she'd date a conservative.

TMZ DC managing editor Charlie Cotton approached Ocasio-Cortez outside Capitol Hill on the heels of her reported split from fiancé Riley Roberts to ask about her dating habits.

"Would you ever date a conservative?" Cotton asked. "Is that [something] you'd ever entertain?"

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Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., departs following a vote at the US Capitol in Washington, DC, US, on Wednesday, July 22, 2026. (Aaron Schwartz/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

The "Squad" member immediately laughed at the question.

"Um, I'd have to say... probably not," Ocasio-Cortez responded, chuckling again.

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When pressed about her reluctance to date across the aisle, Ocasio-Cortez clarified there's "no foul" to those who can put politics aside for love.

"I think a lot of politics sometimes, at least for me, is about values and being aligned in values is tremendously important," Ocasio-Cortez said.

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y. reportedly split from her fiancé Riley Roberts. (James Devaney/GC Images)

Ocasio-Cortez's office did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment.

Dating someone with opposing politics was certainly not as taboo in past decades as it is in today's polarized climate. Veteran Democratic strategist James Carville, famously married to former GOP consultant Mary Matalin, spoke with Fox News Digital last year about finding love regardless of political party.

The former Clinton operative lamented how people in the modern era "use politics as a reason to date or not date somebody," something he ultimately disregarded when he was an eligible bachelor.

"In my case, I wasn't good-looking enough. I had to broaden the base, okay," Carville chuckled. "I just couldn't concentrate on Democratic women. I mean, I needed love. I think it was Woody Allen that said the good thing about being bisexual, it doubles your chances of getting a date. Well, I couldn't go — I wasn't that! I couldn't get that far, so I decided 'Well, I'll start dating Republicans. That'll double my chances to get a date, you know.' Some of it is just, you know, self-preservation."

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Democratic strategist James Carville has been married to former Republican strategist Mary Matalin for over 30 years. (Dave Bjerke/NBCU Photo Bank)

Carville offered a message to young progressives like Ocasio-Cortez when it comes to dating.

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"Get over your preening and your moral superiority," Carville said. "And the more pragmatic in how you approach life, you'll end up being a lot happier, and you'll actually win an election. And therefore, you can actually do things, and you could do some of the things that you want, because if you lose, it doesn't do any good. It's about nothing. That's what I would tell them."