Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez with her father.
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez with her father.
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez with her family.
2011
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez during her university years.
2018
New York City, New York, United States
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is seen on June 27, 2018, in New York City.
2018
New York Congressional candidate Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez speaks at a rally calling on Senator Jeff Flake to reject Judge Brett Kavanaugh's nomination to the Supreme Court on October 1, 2018, in Boston, Massachusetts. Senator Flake is scheduled to give a talk at the Forbes 30 under 30 event in Boston after recently calling for a one week pause in the confirmation process to give the FBI more time to investigate sexual assault allegations. (Photo by Scott Eisen)
2018
New York City, New York, United States
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Democratic candidate running for New York's 14th Congressional district, talks with a voter at the conclusion of a town hall event, September 19, 2018, in The Bronx borough of New York City. In a race she is widely expected to win, Ocasio-Cortez will face Republican nominee Anthony Pappas in the November 6 general election. (Photo by Drew Angerer)
2019
Austin, Texas, United States
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez attends the "Knock Down The House" Premiere 2019 SXSW Conference and Festivals at Paramount Theatre on March 10, 2019, in Austin, Texas. (Photo by Matt Winkelmeyer)
2019
New York City, New York, United States
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez endorses 2020 Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders at a Bernie Sanders campaign rally in Queensbridge Park on October 19, 2019, in Queens, New York City.
2019
New York City, New York, United States
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez works behind the bar at the Queensboro Restaurant, May 31, 2019, in the Queens borough of New York City. Ocasio-Cortez participated in an event to raise awareness for the One Fair Wage campaign, which calls to raise the minimum wage for tipped workers to a full minimum wage at the federal level. (Photo by Drew Angerer)
2019
3009 Broadway, New York, NY 10027, United States
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on stage during the 2019 Athena Film Festival closing night film, "Knock Down the House" at the Diana Center at Barnard College on March 3, 2019, in New York City. (Photo by Lars Niki)
2019
713 Congress Ave, Austin, TX 78701, United States
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez attends the premiere of "Knock Down This House" during the 2019 SXSW Conference And Festival at the Paramount Theatre on March 10, 2019, in Austin, Texas. (Photo by Tim Mosenfelder)
2019
3009 Broadway, New York, NY 10027, United States
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on stage during the 2019 Athena Film Festival closing night film, "Knock Down the House" at the Diana Center at Barnard College on March 3, 2019, in New York City. (Photo by Lars Niki)
2019
Washington, District of Columbia, United States
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and other female lawmakers cheer during President Donald Trump's State of the Union address in the chamber of the United States House of Representatives at the United States Capitol Building on February 5, 2019, in Washington, DC. A group of female Democratic lawmakers chose to wear white to the speech in solidarity with women and a nod to the suffragette movement. (Photo by Alex Wong)
2019
3009 Broadway, New York, NY 10027, United States
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez attends the 2019 Athena Film Festival closing night film, Knock Down the House at the Diana Center at Barnard College on March 3, 2019, in New York City. (Photo by Lars Niki)
2019
500 E Cesar Chavez St, Austin, TX 78701, United States
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez attends Featured Session: Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and the New Left during the 2019 SXSW Conference and Festivals at Austin Convention Center on March 9, 2019, in Austin, Texas. (Photo by Samantha Burkardt)
2019
500 E Cesar Chavez St, Austin, TX 78701, United States
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez walks onto the stage during the 2019 SXSW Conference and Festival at the Austin Convention Center on March 9, 2019, in Austin, Texas. (Photo by Jim Bennett)
2019
First St SE, Washington, DC 20004, United States
Democratic presidential candidate Senator Bernie Sanders and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez hold a news conference to introduce legislation to transform public housing as part of their Green New Deal proposal outside the United States Capitol on November 14, 2019, in Washington, DC. The liberal legislators invited affordable housing advocates and climate change activists to join them for the announcement. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla)
2019
New York City, New York, United States
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez shakes a margarita behind the bar at the Queensboro Restaurant, May 31, 2019, in the Queens borough of New York City. Ocasio-Cortez participated in an event to raise awareness for the One Fair Wage campaign, which calls to raise the minimum wage for tipped workers to a full minimum wage at the federal level. (Photo by Drew Angerer)
2019
New York City, New York, United States
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez endorses Democratic presidential candidate, Sen. Bernie Sanders at a campaign rally in Queensbridge Park on October 19, 2019, in the Queens borough of New York City. This is Sanders' first rally since he paused his campaign for the nomination due to health problems. (Photo by Kena Betancur)
2019
New York City, New York, United States
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez speaks with members of the media before a Green New Deal For Public Housing Town Hall on December 14, 2019, in the Queens borough of New York City. Ocasio-Cortez and Sen. Bernie Sanders have introduced a Green New Deal for Public Housing Act that would commit up to $180 billion over 10 years to upgrading 1.2 million federally administered homes. (Photo by Yana Paskova)
2019
Clint, Texas, United States
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez walking out from the El Paso Border Patrol Station #1 in El Paso TX on July 1, 2019, in Clint, Texas. Reports of inhumane conditions have plagued the facility where migrant children are being held. (Photo by Christ Chavez)
2019
House Financial Services Committee member Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez puts on her glasses as the committee takes a break in the testimony of Facebook co-founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg in the Rayburn House Office Building on Capitol Hill October 23, 2019, in Washington, DC. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla)
2019
United States
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez wipes a tear during a House Oversight and Reform Subcommittee on Civil Rights and Civil Liberties hearing discussing migrant detention centers' treatment of children on Capitol Hill on July 10, 2019, in Washington, DC. Yazmin Juarez, whose 19-month-old daughter Mariee died after detention by ICE testified. (Photo by Zach Gibson)
2019
United States
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Ayanna Pressley, and Rashida Tlaib listen as Michael Cohen, former attorney, and fixer for President Donald Trump, testifies before the House Oversight Committee on Capitol Hill February 27, 2019, in Washington, DC. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla)
2019
45 Independence Ave SW, Washington, DC 20515, United States
House Oversight and Government Reform Committee members Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Ayanna Pressley, and Rashida Tlaib attend a hearing on drug pricing in the Rayburn House Office building on Capitol Hill July 26, 2019, in Washington, DC. As members of a group of four freshman Democratic women of color, known informally as "The Squad," the congresswomen heard testimony from patients and their family members about the negative impacts of rising drug prices in the United States. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla)
2020
New York City, New York, United States
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez campaigns on June 23, 2020, in the Bronx borough of New York City. Ocasio-Cortez is running for re-election in the 14th congressional district against Michelle Caruso-Cabrera, a former CNBC anchor. (Photo by Stephanie Keith)
2020
New York City, New York, United States
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez campaigns on June 23, 2020, in the Bronx borough of New York City. Ocasio-Cortez is running for re-election in the 14th congressional district against Michelle Caruso-Cabrera, a former CNBC anchor. (Photo by Stephanie Keith)
2020
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is the guest today, Wednesday, February 19, 2020, on ABC's "The View."(Photo by Jenny Anderson)
2020
New York City, New York, United States
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez at The View studios on February 19, 2020, in New York City.
2020
Ames, Iowa, United States
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez arrives on stage at a campaign event for Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders at the Ames City Auditorium on January 25, 2020, in Ames, Iowa. Iowa holds the state's caucuses in nine days on February 3. (Photo by Win McNamee)
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez
2011
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez during her university years.
2018
New York City, New York, United States
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is seen on June 27, 2018, in New York City.
2018
New York Congressional candidate Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez speaks at a rally calling on Senator Jeff Flake to reject Judge Brett Kavanaugh's nomination to the Supreme Court on October 1, 2018, in Boston, Massachusetts. Senator Flake is scheduled to give a talk at the Forbes 30 under 30 event in Boston after recently calling for a one week pause in the confirmation process to give the FBI more time to investigate sexual assault allegations. (Photo by Scott Eisen)
2018
New York City, New York, United States
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Democratic candidate running for New York's 14th Congressional district, talks with a voter at the conclusion of a town hall event, September 19, 2018, in The Bronx borough of New York City. In a race she is widely expected to win, Ocasio-Cortez will face Republican nominee Anthony Pappas in the November 6 general election. (Photo by Drew Angerer)
2019
Austin, Texas, United States
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez attends the "Knock Down The House" Premiere 2019 SXSW Conference and Festivals at Paramount Theatre on March 10, 2019, in Austin, Texas. (Photo by Matt Winkelmeyer)
2019
New York City, New York, United States
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez endorses 2020 Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders at a Bernie Sanders campaign rally in Queensbridge Park on October 19, 2019, in Queens, New York City.
2019
New York City, New York, United States
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez works behind the bar at the Queensboro Restaurant, May 31, 2019, in the Queens borough of New York City. Ocasio-Cortez participated in an event to raise awareness for the One Fair Wage campaign, which calls to raise the minimum wage for tipped workers to a full minimum wage at the federal level. (Photo by Drew Angerer)
2019
3009 Broadway, New York, NY 10027, United States
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on stage during the 2019 Athena Film Festival closing night film, "Knock Down the House" at the Diana Center at Barnard College on March 3, 2019, in New York City. (Photo by Lars Niki)
2019
713 Congress Ave, Austin, TX 78701, United States
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez attends the premiere of "Knock Down This House" during the 2019 SXSW Conference And Festival at the Paramount Theatre on March 10, 2019, in Austin, Texas. (Photo by Tim Mosenfelder)
2019
3009 Broadway, New York, NY 10027, United States
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on stage during the 2019 Athena Film Festival closing night film, "Knock Down the House" at the Diana Center at Barnard College on March 3, 2019, in New York City. (Photo by Lars Niki)
2019
Washington, District of Columbia, United States
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and other female lawmakers cheer during President Donald Trump's State of the Union address in the chamber of the United States House of Representatives at the United States Capitol Building on February 5, 2019, in Washington, DC. A group of female Democratic lawmakers chose to wear white to the speech in solidarity with women and a nod to the suffragette movement. (Photo by Alex Wong)
2019
3009 Broadway, New York, NY 10027, United States
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez attends the 2019 Athena Film Festival closing night film, Knock Down the House at the Diana Center at Barnard College on March 3, 2019, in New York City. (Photo by Lars Niki)
2019
500 E Cesar Chavez St, Austin, TX 78701, United States
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez attends Featured Session: Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and the New Left during the 2019 SXSW Conference and Festivals at Austin Convention Center on March 9, 2019, in Austin, Texas. (Photo by Samantha Burkardt)
2019
500 E Cesar Chavez St, Austin, TX 78701, United States
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez walks onto the stage during the 2019 SXSW Conference and Festival at the Austin Convention Center on March 9, 2019, in Austin, Texas. (Photo by Jim Bennett)
2019
First St SE, Washington, DC 20004, United States
Democratic presidential candidate Senator Bernie Sanders and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez hold a news conference to introduce legislation to transform public housing as part of their Green New Deal proposal outside the United States Capitol on November 14, 2019, in Washington, DC. The liberal legislators invited affordable housing advocates and climate change activists to join them for the announcement. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla)
2019
New York City, New York, United States
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez shakes a margarita behind the bar at the Queensboro Restaurant, May 31, 2019, in the Queens borough of New York City. Ocasio-Cortez participated in an event to raise awareness for the One Fair Wage campaign, which calls to raise the minimum wage for tipped workers to a full minimum wage at the federal level. (Photo by Drew Angerer)
2019
New York City, New York, United States
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez endorses Democratic presidential candidate, Sen. Bernie Sanders at a campaign rally in Queensbridge Park on October 19, 2019, in the Queens borough of New York City. This is Sanders' first rally since he paused his campaign for the nomination due to health problems. (Photo by Kena Betancur)
2019
New York City, New York, United States
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez speaks with members of the media before a Green New Deal For Public Housing Town Hall on December 14, 2019, in the Queens borough of New York City. Ocasio-Cortez and Sen. Bernie Sanders have introduced a Green New Deal for Public Housing Act that would commit up to $180 billion over 10 years to upgrading 1.2 million federally administered homes. (Photo by Yana Paskova)
2019
Clint, Texas, United States
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez walking out from the El Paso Border Patrol Station #1 in El Paso TX on July 1, 2019, in Clint, Texas. Reports of inhumane conditions have plagued the facility where migrant children are being held. (Photo by Christ Chavez)
2019
House Financial Services Committee member Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez puts on her glasses as the committee takes a break in the testimony of Facebook co-founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg in the Rayburn House Office Building on Capitol Hill October 23, 2019, in Washington, DC. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla)
2019
United States
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez wipes a tear during a House Oversight and Reform Subcommittee on Civil Rights and Civil Liberties hearing discussing migrant detention centers' treatment of children on Capitol Hill on July 10, 2019, in Washington, DC. Yazmin Juarez, whose 19-month-old daughter Mariee died after detention by ICE testified. (Photo by Zach Gibson)
2019
United States
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Ayanna Pressley, and Rashida Tlaib listen as Michael Cohen, former attorney, and fixer for President Donald Trump, testifies before the House Oversight Committee on Capitol Hill February 27, 2019, in Washington, DC. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla)
2019
45 Independence Ave SW, Washington, DC 20515, United States
House Oversight and Government Reform Committee members Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Ayanna Pressley, and Rashida Tlaib attend a hearing on drug pricing in the Rayburn House Office building on Capitol Hill July 26, 2019, in Washington, DC. As members of a group of four freshman Democratic women of color, known informally as "The Squad," the congresswomen heard testimony from patients and their family members about the negative impacts of rising drug prices in the United States. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla)
2020
New York City, New York, United States
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez campaigns on June 23, 2020, in the Bronx borough of New York City. Ocasio-Cortez is running for re-election in the 14th congressional district against Michelle Caruso-Cabrera, a former CNBC anchor. (Photo by Stephanie Keith)
2020
New York City, New York, United States
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez campaigns on June 23, 2020, in the Bronx borough of New York City. Ocasio-Cortez is running for re-election in the 14th congressional district against Michelle Caruso-Cabrera, a former CNBC anchor. (Photo by Stephanie Keith)
2020
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is the guest today, Wednesday, February 19, 2020, on ABC's "The View."(Photo by Jenny Anderson)
2020
New York City, New York, United States
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez at The View studios on February 19, 2020, in New York City.
2020
Ames, Iowa, United States
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez arrives on stage at a campaign event for Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders at the Ames City Auditorium on January 25, 2020, in Ames, Iowa. Iowa holds the state's caucuses in nine days on February 3. (Photo by Win McNamee)
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez with her father.
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez with her father.
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez with her family.
(Published March 2nd, 2019 by CreateSpace Independent Publ...)
Published March 2nd, 2019 by CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform.
https://www.amazon.com/This-what-am-Alexandria-Ocasio-Cortez/dp/1727201450/ref=sr_1_15?dchild=1&keywords=Alexandria+Ocasio-Cortez&qid=1608041830&sr=8-15
2019
(Get a glimpse into the world of the youngest congresswoma...)
Get a glimpse into the world of the youngest congresswoman in history, AOC: A Star Is Born, puts the political heavy weight's life and career in the spotlight.
https://www.amazon.com/AOC-Star-Alexandria-Ocasio-Cortez/dp/B07Z9NT1V8/ref=sr_1_8?dchild=1&keywords=Alexandria+Ocasio-Cortez&qid=1608041830&sr=8-8
2019
Ethnicity:
Ocasio-Cortez claimed that she has some Jewish ancestry.
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez was born on October 13, 1989, to a working-class Puerto Rican family in the Bronx, New York, United States. Her father, Sergio Ocasio-Roman, was an architect. Her mother's name is Blanca Ocasio-Cortez.
The family moved to the prosperous Westchester County suburb of Yorktown Heights when she was about 5 so that she and her brother could go to better schools, but they returned frequently to see the rest of their family. Those 40-minute drives taught her how ZIP code determines destiny, she says. By the time she was in college, some of her cousins were already having kids.
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez attended Yorktown High School. Ocasio-Cortez describes herself as a "dorky kid" who once asked for a microscope for her birthday. Her 2007 high school microbiology project, on the effects of antioxidants on the life span of roundworms, won second place in the microbiology category at the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair. She often joined her mom to clean the homes of neighbors, and she wrote her college application essay about the two of them helping a man who’d lost his wife the only way they could - by cleaning out his fridge. She took out student loans to enroll at Boston University, graduating in 2011 with a degree in economics and international relations.
After graduation, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez returned home and became a community organizer. However, with the recession taking hold, along with the financial issues her family faced after her father's death in 2008 from cancer, Ocasio-Cortez took multiple low-wage restaurant jobs to help keep them afloat.
Despite Crowley's 10-to-1 fundraising advantage over Ocasio-Cortez, the latter carried out a smart and organized grassroots campaign, along with a powerful viral video ad that began with her stating: "Women like me aren't supposed to run for office." Ocasio-Cortez was the first opponent in the Democratic party to challenge Crowley's seat in 14 years.
"This is not an end, this is the beginning," she said during her primary victory speech. "This is the beginning because the message that we sent the world tonight is that it's not OK to put donors before your community."
Ocasio-Cortez went on to dispatch her Republican opponent, Anthony Pappas, in November to become the youngest female ever elected to Congress. She was sworn in by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on January 3, 2019.
As an active member of the Democratic Socialists of America who also helped organize for Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders in 2016, Ocasio-Cortez ran on a progressive platform - abolishing ICE, criminal justice reform, tuition-free college, and universal healthcare.
"Our campaign was focused on just a laser-focused message of economic, social, and racial dignity for working-class Americans, especially those in Queens and the Bronx," Ocasio-Cortez said during an interview on MSNBC's Morning Joe after her primary win. "We were very clear about our message, very clear about our priorities, and very clear about the fact that even if you've never voted before we are talking to you."
In February 2019, Ocasio-Cortez and Massachusetts Senator Ed Markey introduced a resolution outlining the scope of a "Green New Deal."
The resolution proposed the switch to renewable energy sources for the entire country, with the goal of achieving net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2030. Additionally, the plan called for major investments in clean energy technology research and development, with Ocasio-Cortez also aiming to include a federal jobs guarantee, basic income, and universal health care under the umbrella of the Green New Deal.
The resolution was co-sponsored by 60 House members and nine senators, including Democratic presidential candidates Cory Booker, Kamala Harris, and Kirsten Gillibrand. Ocasio-Cortez, who has suggested raising the income tax rate to as high as 70 percent to fund her ambitious proposal, said she intended to begin writing up legislation immediately.
After voting against a $4.6 billion emergency border aid bill, on the grounds that funding could be used to detain migrant children and conduct deportations, Ocasio-Cortez was among a group of Democratic lawmakers who visited two Texas border facilities in early July 2019. She later recounted the horrific conditions of one facility and claimed she did not feel safe with the Border Patrol agents supervising her tour.
In October, Ocasio-Cortez gave Sanders a boost by endorsing the Vermont senator's 2020 presidential campaign. Around that time, she also drew attention to her pointed questioning of Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg over the social network's policy of permitting political ads with misleading information.
Shortly after Sanders ended his campaign in April 2020, Ocasio-Cortez called for her constituency to rally around Joe Biden as the presumptive Democratic nominee. A few weeks later, a spokesperson confirmed that the congresswoman would serve on a panel advising Biden on climate policy.
Ocasio-Cortez was re-elected to the House for a second term on November 3, 2020, beating Republican John C. Cummings. Her re-election also keeps "The Squad" of congresswomen, consisting of Ocasio-Cortez, Ilhan Omar of Minnesota, Rashida Tlaib of Michigan and Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts.
On June 26, 2018, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez made history when she thoroughly defeated 10-term Congressman Joe Crowley, the fourth most powerful Democrat in the House, in New York's 14th congressional district in the state's Democratic primary. On November 6, less than a month after her 29th birthday, she emerged victorious in the general election to become the youngest woman ever elected to Congress. It was her first time running for office, and as a Democratic Socialist of Puerto Rican descent, her stunning triumph was a boon to the progressive hopes of her liberal supporters.
(Published March 2nd, 2019 by CreateSpace Independent Publ...)
2019(Get a glimpse into the world of the youngest congresswoma...)
2019Ocasio-Cortez, who is Catholic, began her remarks by saying that she has to contemplate how to talk about her spiritual life as a public figure. "It’s not something that I want to cheapen, or it’s not something that I want to use as currency." Of her spiritual journey, she said, "I haven’t talked about it yet much on the outside. I’m very conscious of that."
Ocasio-Cortez's core political values are a key reason why she so greatly appeals to millennial and Gen-Z voters. She's a Democratic Socialist, and the Democratic Socialists of America define their beliefs as feeling that "both the economy and society should be run democratically - to meet public needs, not to make profits for a few." Key policies Ocasio-Cortez believes in include tuition-free public college, Medicare for All, and the Green New Deal, which proposed sweeping legislation to attack climate change in the United States Ocasio-Cortez introduced the resolution herself, alongside Massachusetts Sen. Edward J. Markey.
The 30-year-old herself said Democratic Socialism stands for "basic levels of dignity so that no person in America is too poor to live."
Ocasio-Cortez ran for re-election to the United States House to represent New York's 14th Congressional District. She won the general election on November 3, 2020. She was disqualified from the Working Families Party primary scheduled on June 23, 2020.
She defeated 10-term incumbent Representative Joseph Crowley in the Democratic primary. Stark fundraising differences and notable endorsements on both sides fueled debate over which candidate had the most progressive credentials.
Ocasio-Cortez had not sought elected office prior to challenging Crowley. She worked in Senator Ted Kennedy's foreign affairs and immigration office from 2008 to 2009 while attending Boston University. After graduating, she returned to the Bronx where she volunteered for Sen. Bernie Sanders' 2016 presidential Democratic primary campaign. Brand New Congress, a group founded by former Sanders presidential campaign staffers, encouraged her to challenge Crowley in New York's 14th District primary.
During an "Ask Me Anything" Reddit session at the start of her campaign, Ocasio-Cortez said, "My campaign is challenging Joseph Crowley, one of the most Corporate-funded members of Congress, on an entirely progressive and grassroots campaign." Her campaign site emphasized her working-class background, stating, "Ocasio2018 is a campaign that brings New Yorkers together to champion the needs of working families in the Bronx and Queens. Together we will create a nation of dignified healthcare, tuition-free higher education, quality employment, and justice for all - and we’re the only ones to do it without corporate money."
Ocasio-Cortez was endorsed by Brand New Congress, Justice Democrats, The People for Bernie Sanders, NYC Democratic Socialists of America, and Demand Universal Healthcare.
Despite drawing a disproportionate share of ire from foes across the aisle, Ocasio-Cortez hasn't shied away from speaking out on issues important to her. That included her strong feelings after Alabama passed a state law in May 2019 that effectively outlawed abortion. Tweeting about the new "horrifying" law, she wrote: "Ultimately, this is about women's power. When women are in control of their sexuality, it threatens a core element underpinning right-wing ideology: patriarchy. It's a brutal form of oppression to seize control of the 1 essential thing a person should command: their own body."
Quotations:
"Change takes courage."
"There’s no debate as to whether we should continue producing fossil fuels. There’s no debate, we should not. Every single scientific consensus points to that."
"We don’t have time to sit on our hands as our planet burns. For young people, climate change is bigger than election or re-election. It’s life or death."
"Our goal is to treat Climate Change like the serious, existential threat it is by drafting an ambitious solution on the scale necessary - aka a Green New Deal - to get it done. A weak [select] committee misses the point & endangers people."
"Hope is not something that you have. Hope is something that you create, with your actions. Hope is contagious. Other people start acting in a way that has more hope."
"Capitalism has not always existed in the world and will not always exist in the world."
"I never saw myself going into politics, but now that I sit here in this room with you all, I just feel like we can only accomplish great things together."
In order to help her family make ends meet during the middle of the recession, Ocasio-Cortez took 18-hour shifts working as a waitress and at two other jobs.
She is close with her Puerto Rican mother and took a sweet video with her that she posted on her Instagram story after her monumental victory, saying she was catching up after having an intense day of media interviews.
After the people of Queens and The Bronx nominated her, the Republican party compared Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez to the current leader of Venezuela, President Madura. Specifically, they called her a "mini Maduro," implying she supports anti-democratic policies. No one missed the fact that the GOP compared her to a negative Latinx figure, as opposed to a positive Socialist one. Alexandria responded by saying that her policies are "more reminiscent of Norway than of Caracas." She then blasted the Republican party for showing "comfort with and weakness towards the racism of this [administration]."
Quotes from others about the person
"The right doesn’t dislike AOC because she's ineffective. They despise her precisely because she communicates boldly, passionately, and in a Twitter-native manner. When AOC talks, Republicans know they are losing." - Krystal Ball
"One advantage Ocasio-Cortez has over some colleagues is that she consistently attends even the most mundane committee hearings, since she does not spend any of her day calling donors for money. Her online presence is strong enough that she has chosen to rely on it exclusively to raise contributions in smaller increments." - Huffington Post
"Hope in the Dark" by Rebecca Solnit, "Why We Can’t Wait" by Martin Luther King Jr., "The Search for Common Ground" by Howard Thurman, "Team of Rivals" by Doris Kearns Goodwin, "Collected Poems" by Audre Lorde, "The Bhagavad Gita," "Capital in the Twenty-First Century" by Thomas Piketty, "One Hundred Years of Solitude" by Gabriel García Márquez, "Infinite Jest" by David Foster Wallace, "Consider the Lobster" by David Foster Wallace
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is pretty tight-lipped about her private life, and so her relationship with web developer boyfriend Riley Roberts is low-key. Ocasio-Cortez shared on Instagram that she and Roberts have officially adopted a French bulldog puppy.
