AOC aims to topple Albany incumbents with slate of soft-on-crime Democrats

With New York City reeling from random killings of innocent Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is pushing like-minded “defund the police” insurgents to primary sitting Albany Democrats, The Post has learned.

AOC announced Monday she’s backing a slate of candidates to topple seven Democratic incumbents in the upcoming June 28 party primary elections.

In an alliance with theJeffrey Dinowitz and Michael Benedetto.

Jonathan Soto. Benedetto accused AOC of trying to hijack the Democratic-led Assembly with an anti-public safety agenda.

Nearly his entire 82nd Assembly District overlaps with AOC’s congressional district that takes in City Island, Pelham Bay, Throgs Neck, parts of Morris Park and Co-Op City.

“I’m sure AOC would love to see the Assembly become part of the Democratic socialist movement to defund the police,” said Benedetto.

“AOC and her candidates will make New York less safe if they prevail.”

Still, he said, AOC and Soto picked the wrong fight in the wrong district.

“The constituents in my district are common sense people who are very, very concerned about the quality of life and safety in the streets and are against many of the things Ms. Cortez makes noise about,” Benendetto said.

“I’m ready to fight for the job I love.”

Benedetto, chairman of the education committee, is aiding Mayor Eric Adams’ push to get Albany to renew Hizzoner’ss authority to run the city public school system — raising the possibility that Adams, a foe of democratic socialism, will endorse Benedetto over AOC’s candidate.

AOC also is backing insurgent Jessica Altagracia Woolford in the Bronx’s Riverdale section against party stalwart Jeff Dinowitz in the 81st district that takes in Riverdale.

Meanwhile, she’s looking to defeat Assemblywoman Inez Dickens, who has deep ties to the Harlem Democratic establishment and Eric Dilan, a Brooklyn Democratic Party stalwart.

AOC instead is backing Delsenia Glover, a lifelong Harlemite and tenant leader and founding member of the Housing Justice for All coalition, against Dickens.

She also endorsed Samy Olivares in the 54th AD — who would be the first “genderqueer” state legislator according to the Ocasio-Cortez release — against Dilan.

The AOC slate also includes immigrant rights organizer and Peekskill resident Vanessa Agudelo, who is running for an empty seat to replace incumbent Sandra Galef, who is not seeking reelection in the 95th AD in the lower Hudson Valley; Sarahana Shrestha over incumbent Kevin Cahill in the 103rd AD in the upper Hudson Valley; and public school teacher Justin Chaires against incumbent Angelo Santabarbara in the capital region.

In addition, she endorsed Keron Alleyne in the 60th AD in Brooklyn’s East New York against incumbent Nikki Lucas.

For an open seat in Western Queens, she’s backing Robert Holden last year.

“These working-class candidates are running on guaranteed healthcare, affordable housing, and climate justice for every New Yorker, but they’re facing down deep pockets: politicians backed by real estate developers, Wall Street, and Big Pharma,” Ocasio-Cortez said in the e-fundraising blitz sent to supporters on behalf of her slate of candidates Monday.

“Can you contribute $28 to these candidates so we win a New York where everyone is fed, sheltered, and cared for? Every dollar counts…. the barrier to our issues of guaranteed healthcare, affordable housing, and climate justice is the corporate-backed incumbents in the other body of the state legislature, the NY State Assembly. Until we win a progressive State Assembly, none of our remaining issues will pass.”