The night Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez pulled an upset against U.S. Rep. Joe Crowley (D-Sunnyside, Astoria, College Point, East Elmhurst, Jackson Heights, Corona, Woodside, and The Bronx) didn’t just shock Queens, it shocked the whole nation.
A sudden overnight sensation since her victory, Ocasio-Cortez was invited for appearances at shows that spanned The Late Show With Stephen Colbert, MSNBC, and The View. Her victory even led Merriam-Webster to report an unusual number of searchers for the word “socialism.”
Since her stunning victory against Crowley, Ocasio-Cortez took a surprising turn in her campaign trails making stops across America to elevate other insurgent candidates. She later joined Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont) in Kansas, then traveled to Missouri and Michigan to campaign for other Democratic candidates.
For example, while in Michigan, Ocasio-Cortez campaigned for gubernatorial candidate Abdul El-Sayed. While El-Sayed lost the primary on Tuesday, Ocasio-Cortez solidified herself as a figure in national politics.
“Alexandria believes that having a caucus of dedicated, hardworking incumbents in the office with her will be a key to achieving transformative change,” said Jeff Latzer, a spokesperson for Ocasio-Cortez. “By working to get other progressive candidates elected, Alexandria will be securing more voting power for the people of our district.”
Latzer elaborated that the campaign’s strategy in the district will to register new votes that would empower more candidates in the democratic process.
Of course, some figures have reacted negatively toward Ocasio-Cortez. One Florida congressman, Ron DeSantis, told supporters at a campaign rally that “this girl Ocasio-Cortez or whatever she is, I mean, she’s in a totally different universe.” He added that her philosophy of socialism was “wrapped in ignorance.”
Soon after, Ocasio-Cortez was defended by a Queens figure, U.S. Rep. Grace Meng (D- Bayside, Flushing, Forest Hills, Rego Park, Fresh Meadows, Glendale, Kew Gardens, and Maspeth) after the lawmaker caught wind of the comment.
“This ‘girl or whoever she is’ is my future colleague from Queens who will serve with me in Congress where men make up over 80 [percent] of the body,” she wrote. “And we’re working to elect more women, so we don’t have to put up with comments and attitudes like this.”
Ocasio-Cortez will be facing Republican candidate Anthony Pappas, a St. John’s University professor.
The general election is Tuesday, November 6th.
