City officials and turkey recipients alike were reportedly scratching their heads this week as Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s annual holiday giveaway underwent a “strategic pivot.” What began last year as a genuine turkey distribution for needy families in the Bronx is now, according to The Post Millennial, an online donation pitch routed straight into her campaign coffers.
“I declared 2025 the year of ‘Gobble & Fundraise’,” said an unnamed campaign aide in a leaked memo, which the office promptly denied existed. “But really, it’s just turkey season —and re-election season. Why not both?”
The messaging went something like: “Will you chip in $5 or whatever you can today to bring holiday joy into homes across NYC?” The problem: the donation link says “Paid for by Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez for Congress.” So instead of buying turkeys, some portion of your dollar just might buy campaign air-time. That led one city councilman to quip: “It’s a turkey giveaway in name only—more like a campaign fundraiser dressed in feathers.”
Campaign spokespeople insist the funds will support local food pantries, and they claim past giveaways handed out more than 1,600 birds. But critics note there’s no clear accounting for how many turkeys were actually bought with which dollars. “If you raise a million bucks, do you buy one million turkeys—or do you buy zero and call it outreach?” asked one ethics observer.
For her part, Ocasio-Cortez appeared in an Instagram story draping a festive scarf over a pile of frozen birds and saying: “Thanks to YOU, we are feeding families.” But then came the fine print: donations went through ActBlue and were not tax-deductible since they were to a campaign account.
Supporters say the move reflects savvy grassroots organizing and self-reliance—“We're not taking corporate dollars,” the campaign says. Opponents call it a classic bait-and-switch. One councilman said: “Charity is when the turkey drive isn’t also a fundraising email.”
In the end, the only thing guaranteed to be stuffed this Thanksgiving may be the donation page. Because if nothing else, at least the campaign war-chest will have plenty of stuffing.
