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 said New York’s 14th Congressional District covered Brooklyn.
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