Triumph of 28-year-old Sanders socialist over rich incumbent is a seismic shift for US Democrats
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, 28, would be the youngest member of Congress if she, as expected, wins in November
A top member of the US House’s Democratic leadership has been blindsided by a fresh-faced candidate who beat him in a New York primary election despite raising one-tenth as much money – and who is now a standard-bearer in the continuing struggle over the party’s identity.
The stunning victory on Tuesday by 28-year-old Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez over long-time Representative Joe Crowley, 56, once seen as a potential House speaker, resulted from a rift between the party’s old guard and a new, more liberal generation. It came in a New York City district that exemplifies the country’s changing demographics.
“I look forward to working towards a takeback of the House on a strong platform of economic, social, and racial justice for working class New Yorkers & Americans,” Ocasio-Cortez wrote on Twitter after prevailing in the primary.
Ocasio-Cortez, who would be the youngest member of Congress if she, as expected, wins in November, is a former organiser for Bernie Sanders and a member of the Democratic Socialists of America.
She joined protesters at the Standing Rock demonstration against a natural gas pipeline in North Dakota. She went to Texas to see conditions at immigrant detention centres near the border.
In the election – one of several primary victories by progressives – Ocasio-Cortez won 57.5 per cent of the vote to Crowley’s 42.5 per cent. The district includes parts of Queens and the Bronx.
When the result was called, a visibly shocked Ocasio-Cortez clasped her hands to her mouth. “Oh my God. Oh my God. Oh my God,” she repeated.