A reporter asked Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez if Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer should give up his position after several Democrats broke ranks and sided with Republicans to move a government funding bill forward. Instead of giving a simple answer, she delivered a long explanation that left the core question untouched.

“I think what’s important is that we understand that…a leader is a reflection of the party, and Senate Democrats have selected their leadership to represent them,” Ocasio-Cortez said.

“And so the question needs to be bigger than just one person. We have several Senate primaries this cycle. I know I’m being asked about New York. That is years from now. …We actually do have Senate elections this year, and my hope is that people across this country actually participate in their primary elections in selecting their leadership,” she said.

Her careful tone came during a moment of deep frustration inside Schumer’s caucus. Just days ago, eight Senate Democrats broke with their leader and sided with Republicans to advance a continuing resolution that would reopen the government.

Those senators were Maggie Hassan, Jeanne Shaheen, Dick Durbin, Jacky Rosen, Tim Kaine, Catherine Cortez-Masto, Angus King, and John Fetterman.

Their votes meant Democrats would not get a guaranteed extension of the enhanced Obamacare subsidies they wanted. Instead, they received only a promise from Senate Republican Leader John Thune to hold a vote on the matter sometime in mid-December.

The cracks inside the Democrat Party have widened since then.

Earlier this month, Sen. Tom Cotton said this entire fight was driven by fear. Cotton had spoken to Breitbart News before the shutdown, and he offered a blunt take on what he believed was behind Schumer’s approach.

“Chuck Schumer is shutting down the government because he’s terrified of a primary from AOC. His actions are disgraceful,” Cotton said.

Then, after Sunday’s vote, Cotton did not hold back as he renewed his criticism and linked Schumer’s behavior to his long-running hostility toward President Trump.

Cotton said Schumer is “a disgrace” for putting “his deranged hatred for President Trump ahead of serving the public.”

These clashes reveal the growing tension between the old guard and the younger, more aggressive wing of the Democrat Party. The latest moment added fuel to a fight already growing for years. The refusal from Ocasio-Cortez to say whether Schumer should remain in charge has turned into a louder message than a direct call for his ouster ever could.

And the timing could not be worse for Democrats. The shutdown, the public defections, the fractured messaging, and now a leadership question that AOC is allowing to linger—all of it is deepening the divide.

Many in the party know that her influence is rising fast, and her non-answer may be deliberate. It leaves Schumer weakened while keeping her options open without taking responsibility for a direct hit. Those close to the situation hint that primary speculation will only grow as long as the shutdown fallout continues.

With the government funding fight still in motion and more key decisions coming up, the pressure on Schumer will not ease. And every time members of his party break ranks, the speculation about a challenge—especially from someone as well-known as AOC—will intensify.

The next few months may determine whether this is only a public disagreement or the beginning of a full-scale leadership battle inside the Democrat Senate caucus.