AOC condemns Republican for running TV ad with skulls and pictures of her on fire 'to convince people they aren’t racist'

Advert was run on ABC during the third Democratic debates

Democrats are crying foul after ABC apparently ran an advert showing a picture of representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez engulfed in flames, revealing a bunch of skulls behind it, during the third Democratic debates in Houston.

The video includes a woman attacking Ms Ocasio-Cortez for her embrace of socialism, and claiming that socialism has led to massacres in the past.

"Republicans are running TV ads setting pictures of me on fire to convince people they aren’t racist," Ms Ocasio-Cortez wrote in a tweet after the advert aired.

"Life is weird!" she continued.

It was not immediately clear who had paid for the advertisement, which was posted on Twitter by Democrat Scott Dworkin, who helps run an anti-Donald Trump advocacy group.

The advert was ran as 10 democrats met on stage in Houston as they seek their party's nomination.

On the stage include two candidates known to share similar views to Ms Ocasio-Cortez, including Bernie Sanders, who has embraced the title of socialism.