Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez was waiting tables in a taco restaurant in Manhattan when she decided she would run for office. Last June, this 28-year-old American of Puerto Rican descent won the primary election in New York’s 14th Congressional District, unseating ten-term senator Joe Crowley in a shock victory.
MAKE IT HAPPEN
Ocasio-Cortez calls herself a “Democratic socialist” representing the left-wing of the US Democratic Party. Born in the Bronx to a working class family, no one knows better than this Latina the area she lives in. After majoring in economics and international relations at Boston University, she moved back to the Bronx, where she worked to improve education and began to speak up for the local community.
PEOPLE POWER
Passionate and determined, Ocasio-Cortez challenged the established donor party by rallying local people. She had good training: in 2016, as a young Democratic congressional candidate, she worked for Bernie Sanders, who lost out to Hillary Clinton in his campaign to be the Democrats’ presidential candidate. Now, Ocasio-Cortez is leading a new wave of grassroots Democrats and she also helps other candidates throughout the States that share her values on social and economic justice.
SOCIAL AGENDA
Universal healthcare, free public colleges and affordable housing for everyone are among Ocasio-Cortez’s priorities. The political activist believes everybody should live a dignified life and she is also engaged in fighting crime and racism.
She gives visibility to minorities and a voice to those who are struggling in a city where rents are rapidly rising and wages are stagnant. But she also represents those who were feeling disappointed and disconnected from politics.
PUERTO RICAN PRIDE
The daughter of a Puerto Rican immigrant, Ocasio-Cortez used to spend her summer holidays on the Caribbean island. Proud of her roots, she is in favour of the cancellation of Puerto Rico’s debt and the right of self-determination. Currently, despite being a US territory, Puerto Rico does not have voting representation in the Congress.
OUTSPOKEN
Although Ocasio-Cortez has had to face sexism and criticism of her inexperience, the Democratic candidate has not lost her confidence. On a late night TV show, she declared that she does not think President Trump “knows how to deal with a girl from the Bronx.” Whether she makes it to Congress or not, Ocasio-Cortez has already made history, changing New York’s political landscape and becoming a rising young star in the Democratic Party.
