Five things you should know about Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, the Democratic Socialist who ousted a 10-term House incumbent
By Emilie Plesset
Gwen Ifill Fellow
In what is being described as the biggest upset of the year so far, newcomer Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez beat New York Rep. Joe Crowley in Tuesday’s Democratic primary.
The 10-term incumbent chairs the House Democratic Caucus and was considered a possible Speaker should the Democrats retake the House this fall. He had not faced a primary challenger in 14 years. Despite being outraised by Crowley 10-to-1, Ocasio-Cortez, who ran a progressive grassroots campaign, beat him by 15 points.
Here are five things you should know about the woman who might next represent New York’s 14th District:
• At 28-years-old, Ocasio-Cortez would be the youngest woman ever elected to Congress. Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.), who was elected at age 30 in 2015, currently holds the title.
• She spent the last weekend of her campaign protesting outside a child-detention center in Texas.
The child detention camps are here - I confronted the border officers myself.
— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@Ocasio2018) June 24, 2018
Using their names, I told them exactly what they are responsible for.
One of them made eye contact with me.
I spoke directly to him.
I saw his sense of guilt.
We can dismantle this.#AbolishICE pic.twitter.com/QLyc9MAnkt
• Ocasio-Cortez identifies as a socialist and supports the abolition of ICE, free college tuition, and universal Medicare.
• Less than a year before running for office, Ocasio-Cortez worked at a cocktail bar in New York City.
• She was a staffer for the late Sen. Ted Kennedy and worked as an organizer for Sen. Bernie Sanders’ 2016 presidential campaign. The Vermont Senator took to Twitter to congratulate Ocasio-Cortez on her win.
Congratulations to @Ocasio2018 on her extraordinary upset victory tonight! She took on the entire local Democratic establishment in her district and won a very strong victory. She demonstrated once again what progressive grassroots politics can do.
— Bernie Sanders (@BernieSanders) June 27, 2018
