Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez | |
|---|---|
 Official portrait, 2019 | |
| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from New York's 14th district | |
| Assumed office January 3, 2019 | |
| Preceded by | Joe Crowley |
| Personal details | |
| Born | October 13, 1989 New York City, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Other political affiliations | Working Families Party[a] Democratic Socialists of America[b] |
| Education | Boston University (BA) |
| Signature |  |
| Website | House website |
| This article is part of a series on |
| Socialism in the United States |
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Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (/oʊˌkɑːsioʊ kɔːrˈtɛz/ oh-KAH-see-oh kor-TEZ, Spanish: [aleɣˈsandɾja oˈkasjo koɾˈtes]; born October 13, 1989), also known by her initials AOC, is an American politician and activist serving since 2019 as the U.S. representative for New York's 14th congressional district. She is a member of the Democratic Party.
Ocasio-Cortez was born in the New York City borough of the Bronx. Her family later moved to Yorktown Heights, where she attended Yorktown High School. She then attended Boston University, where she double-majored in international relations and economics, graduating with honors. She then moved back to the Bronx, becoming an activist and working as a waitress and bartender.
On June 26, 2018, Ocasio-Cortez drew national recognition when she won the Democratic Party's primary election for New York's 14th congressional district. She defeated Democratic Caucus Chair Joe Crowley, a 10-term incumbent, in what was widely seen as the biggest upset victory in the 2018 midterm election primaries.[4][5][6] She easily won the November general election, defeating Republican Anthony Pappas. She was reelected in the 2020, 2022, and 2024 elections.
Taking office at age 29, Ocasio-Cortez is the youngest woman[7][8] and the first female member of the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) to be elected to Congress.[c][10] She advocates a progressive platform that includes support for worker cooperatives,[11] Medicare for All, tuition-free public college, a federal jobs guarantee, a Green New Deal, and abolishing the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). She is a prominent leader of the left-wing faction of the Democratic Party, and a member of progressive congressional bloc "The Squad".
- ^ "New York's 14th Congressional District election, 2022". Ballotpedia. Archived from the original on November 11, 2023. Retrieved October 17, 2023.
- ^ Stein, Jeff (August 5, 2017). "9 questions about the Democratic Socialists of America you were too embarrassed to ask". Vox. Archived from the original on November 11, 2018. Retrieved July 11, 2022.
- ^ "Status of DSA National Endorsement for Rep. Ocasio-Cortez". DSA National Political Committee. Archived from the original on July 11, 2024. Retrieved June 11, 2024.
- ^ Murphy, Tim (June 26, 2018). "A progressive insurgent just pulled off the biggest Democratic primary upset in years". Mother Jones. Archived from the original on June 27, 2018. Retrieved June 27, 2018.
- ^ Krieg, Gregory (June 27, 2018). "A 28-year-old Democratic Socialist just ousted a powerful, 10-term congressman in New York". Atlanta, Georgia: CNN. Archived from the original on June 27, 2018. Retrieved June 27, 2018.
in the most shocking upset of a rollicking political season
- ^ Merica, Dan; Bradner, Eric (June 27, 2018). "The biggest night so far for progressives and other takeaways from Tuesday night's primaries". CNN. Archived from the original on June 27, 2018. Retrieved June 27, 2018.
It was the most shocking result of 2018's political season so far ...
- ^ Grigoryan, Nune; Suetzl, Wolfgang (2019). "Hybridized political participation". In Atkinson, Joshua D.; Kenix, Linda (eds.). Alternative Media Meets Mainstream Politics: Activist Nation Rising. Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield. p. 190. ISBN 9781498584357. Archived from the original on August 3, 2020. Retrieved June 22, 2020.
- ^ Watkins, Eli (November 6, 2018). "Ocasio-Cortez to be youngest woman ever elected to Congress". CNN. Archived from the original on November 7, 2018. Retrieved November 6, 2018.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
vox_2018-06-27was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Isserman, Maurice (November 8, 2018). "Socialists in the House: A 100-Year History from Victor Berger to Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez". In These Times. Archived from the original on February 11, 2020. Retrieved May 11, 2018.
- ^ "Unlikely Advocates: Worker Co-ops, Grassroots Organizing, and Public Policy". Nonprofit Quarterly. August 8, 2023. Archived from the original on August 16, 2023. Retrieved August 16, 2023.
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