Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez deletes tweet that mistakenly identified fellow Democrat as one of GOP’s ‘older male members’

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) listens during a House Financial Services Committee hearing on April 10. (Andrew Harrer/Bloomberg)

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) on Thursday tweeted — then deleted — a post that mistakenly identified her fellow House Democrat, Rep. John Yarmuth (Ky.), as one of the Republican Party’s “older male members.”

Ocasio-Cortez, who is among the most prominent liberal voices in the House Democrats’ freshman class, had tweeted the message in response to a post by the Kentucky Republican Party.

The Kentucky GOP post shows Yarmuth, a six-term Democrat who is chairman of the House Budget Committee, smiling and standing next to a cardboard cutout of Ocasio-Cortez. “Looks like @AOC and #socialism are calling the shots for @KyDems now!” the post reads.

#ThrowbackThursday last month the socialists threatened the lone #Kentucky #Democrat in Congress if he didn't bend to their radical, extremist will: https://t.co/MdS3un7IIY looks like @AOC and #socialism are calling the shots for @KyDems now! pic.twitter.com/VIe6JWZZQy

— Republican Party of Kentucky (@KYGOP) April 25, 2019

In her now-deleted response, Ocasio-Cortez had seized on the tweet to point out the dearth of young women among the ranks of House Republicans.

“GOP: Let’s pose our older male members next to cardboard cutouts of young female legislators,” she wrote.

For those looking for the deleted tweet, here you go pic.twitter.com/uezDQ8Vfzw

— Jacob Payne (@cattleprod) April 25, 2019

Hours later, Yarmuth on Twitter responded to the mixup.

“I was a Republican 35 years ago, but I think I have become wiser as an older, white, male Democrat,” he tweeted. “I simply wanted everyone to know I welcome @RepAOC in Kentucky, regardless of what old white male Republicans think.”

No word, though, on where he got a lifesize cardboard cutout of Ocasio-Cortez.

Colby Itkowitz contributed to this report.