top of page

Democratic Socialist Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Wins Election In a Landslide

JOHN ANGELILLO/UPI/Newscom


Progressive wunderkind Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has won by a landslide in New York's 14th Congressional District. With some 80 percent of precincts reporting, Ocasio-Cortez has earned 79 percent of the vote, far outpacing the 13 percent going to her Republican rival.

The lopsided victory for Ocasio-Cortez is hardly a surprise, given the deep blue nature of her district covering parts of Queens and the Bronx.*

The result is nevertheless impressive for the 29-year-old former bartender and self-described democratic socialist, who rocketed onto the national stage by knocking off 10-term incumbent Rep. Joe Crowley (D–N.Y.) in June's Democratic primary.

In her short time in the national spotlight, Ocasio-Cortez has managed to raise the profile of a number of issues supported by the left-wing of the Democratic party, including Medicare-for-All, free college, a carbon tax, the abolition of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency, and a federal jobs guarantee.

There was even some talk of her election being a harbinger of a "socialist moment" in American politics.

She has also had a number of notable gaffs, including the claim that the unemployment rate is low because more people are working two jobs, or that Medicare-for-All would save the country money by cutting down on funeral expenses.

Ocasio-Cortez has also consistently failed to explain how exactly she would pay for her ambitious agenda, which would grow federal government spending by an estimated $40 trillion over 10 years.

Now elected, she will be a strong advocate for progressive policies in the new Congress.

CORRECTION: The original version of this post said New York's 14th Congressional District covered Brooklyn.

Comments


NEWSLETTERS

Get Reason In Your Inbox.

Thanks for submitting!

Join the

LIBERTARIAN PARTY

We are funded entirely by Americans who want to help give liberty a voice. By joining the Libertarian Party as a dues-paying member, you are investing in this critical work.

Thanks for submitting!

ADDRESS

1444 Duke St.

Alexandria, VA 22314-3403

PHONE

(800) ELECT-US

(800) 353-2887

EMAIL

bottom of page