Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (born October 13, 1989), also known as AOC, is an American politician and activist who has served since 2019 as the
US representative
The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Article One of th ...
for
New York's 14th congressional district
New York's 14th congressional district is a List of United States congressional districts, congressional district for the United States House of Representatives located in New York City, represented by United States Democratic Party, Democrat A ...
. She is a member of the
Democratic Party.
Ocasio-Cortez was born in
the Bronx
The Bronx ( ) is the northernmost of the five Boroughs of New York City, boroughs of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. It shares a land border with Westchester County, New York, West ...
, a
New York City borough
The boroughs of New York City are the five major governmental districts that comprise New York City. They are the Bronx, Brooklyn, Manhattan, Queens, and Staten Island. Each borough is coextensive with a respective county of the State of New ...
. She attended
Boston University
Boston University (BU) is a Private university, private research university in Boston, Massachusetts, United States. BU was founded in 1839 by a group of Boston Methodism, Methodists with its original campus in Newbury (town), Vermont, Newbur ...
, where she
double-majored in
international relations
International relations (IR, and also referred to as international studies, international politics, or international affairs) is an academic discipline. In a broader sense, the study of IR, in addition to multilateral relations, concerns al ...
and economics, graduating with honors. She moved back to the Bronx, becoming an activist and working as a waitress and bartender.
On June 26, 2018, Ocasio-Cortez drew national recognition when she won the Democratic Party's
primary election
Primary elections or primaries are elections held to determine which candidates will run in an upcoming general election. In a partisan primary, a political party selects a candidate. Depending on the state and/or party, there may be an "open pr ...
for
New York's 14th congressional district
New York's 14th congressional district is a List of United States congressional districts, congressional district for the United States House of Representatives located in New York City, represented by United States Democratic Party, Democrat A ...
. She
defeated
Defeated may refer to:
* "Defeated" (Breaking Benjamin song)
* "Defeated" (Anastacia song)
*"Defeated", a song by Snoop Dogg from the album ''Bible of Love''
*Defeated, Tennessee
Defeated is an unincorporated community in Smith County, Tennessee ...
Democratic Caucus chair Joe Crowley
Joseph Crowley (born March 16, 1962) is an American former politician who served as U.S. Representative from New York's 14th congressional district from 1999 to 2019. He was defeated by Democratic primary challenger Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez in ...
, a 10-term incumbent, in what was widely seen as the biggest upset victory in the
2018 midterm election primaries.
She easily won the
November general election, defeating
Republican Anthony Pappas. She was reelected in
2020
The year 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global Social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, social and Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of even ...
,
2022
The year began with another wave in the COVID-19 pandemic, with SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant, Omicron spreading rapidly and becoming the dominant variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus worldwide. Tracking a decrease in cases and deaths, 2022 saw ...
, and
2024
The year saw the list of ongoing armed conflicts, continuation of major armed conflicts, including the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Myanmar civil war (2021–present), Myanmar civil war, the Sudanese civil war (2023–present), Sudane ...
.
Taking office at age 29, Ocasio-Cortez is
the youngest woman ever elected to Congress. She was also, alongside
Rashida Tlaib
Rashida Harbi Tlaib ( ; born July 24, 1976) is an American lawyer and politician serving as a U.S. representative from Michigan since 2019, representing the state's 12th congressional district since 2023. A member of the Democratic Party, sh ...
,
one of the first two female members of the
Democratic Socialists of America
The Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) is a political organization in the United States and the country's largest Socialism, socialist organization. Sitting on the Left-wing politics, left-wing to Far-left politics, far-left of the politic ...
(DSA) elected to Congress. She advocates a
progressive platform that includes support for
worker cooperative
A worker cooperative is a cooperative owned and Workers' self-management, self-managed by its workers. This control may mean a Company, firm where every worker-owner participates in decision-making in a democratic fashion, or it may refer to one ...
s,
Medicare for All
Single-payer healthcare is a type of universal healthcare, in which the costs of essential healthcare for all residents are covered by a single public system (hence "single-payer"). Single-payer systems may contract for healthcare services from pr ...
, tuition-free public colleges, a
jobs guarantee
A job guarantee is an economic policy proposal that aims to create full employment and price stability by having the state promise to hire unemployed workers as an employer of last resort (ELR). It aims to provide a sustainable solution to infl ...
, a
Green New Deal
The Green New Deal (GND) calls for public policy to address climate change, along with achieving other social aims like job creation, economic growth, and reducing economic inequality.
The name refers to the New Deal, a set of changes and ...
, and
abolishing the
US Immigration and Customs Enforcement
The United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE; ) is a federal law enforcement agency under the United States Department of Homeland Security. ICE's stated mission is to protect the United States from transnational crime and ille ...
(ICE). She is a prominent leader of the left-wing faction of the Democratic Party, and a member of the "
Squad
In military terminology, a squad is among the smallest of Military organization, military organizations and is led by a non-commissioned officer. NATO and United States, U.S. doctrine define a squad as an organization "larger than a fireteam, ...
", a progressive congressional bloc.
Early life and education
Ocasio-Cortez was born in the New York City borough of
the Bronx
The Bronx ( ) is the northernmost of the five Boroughs of New York City, boroughs of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. It shares a land border with Westchester County, New York, West ...
on October 13, 1989, the daughter of Sergio Ocasio-Roman and Blanca Ocasio-Cortez (). She has a younger brother named Gabriel. Her father was
born in the Bronx to a Puerto Rican family and became an architect; her mother was born in Puerto Rico.
The family lived in an apartment in the Bronx neighborhood of
Parkchester
Parkchester is a planned community and neighborhood originally developed by the Metropolitan Life Insurance Company and located in the east Bronx, New York City. The immediate surrounding area also takes its name from the complex. Its boundari ...
until Ocasio-Cortez was five, when they moved to a house in suburban
Yorktown Heights
Yorktown Heights is a census-designated place (CDP) in the town of Yorktown in Westchester County, New York, United States. The population was 1,781 at the 2010 census.
History
Yorktown Heights is in the town of Yorktown, New York, in northern ...
.
She said her family raised enough money to buy a small home there so she could go to school, and that her mother worked as a house cleaner in the town.
Ocasio-Cortez attended
Yorktown High School, graduating in 2007.
In high school and college, Ocasio-Cortez went by the name of "Sandy Ocasio".
She came in second in the
microbiology
Microbiology () is the branches of science, scientific study of microorganisms, those being of unicellular organism, unicellular (single-celled), multicellular organism, multicellular (consisting of complex cells), or non-cellular life, acellula ...
category of the
Intel International Science and Engineering Fair
The Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF) is an annual science fair in the United States. It is owned and administered by the Society for Science, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization based in Washington, D.C.
Each May, more ...
in 2007 with a research project on the effect of
antioxidant
Antioxidants are Chemical compound, compounds that inhibit Redox, oxidation, a chemical reaction that can produce Radical (chemistry), free radicals. Autoxidation leads to degradation of organic compounds, including living matter. Antioxidants ...
s on the lifespan of the
nematode
The nematodes ( or ; ; ), roundworms or eelworms constitute the phylum Nematoda. Species in the phylum inhabit a broad range of environments. Most species are free-living, feeding on microorganisms, but many are parasitic. Parasitic worms (h ...
''
Caenorhabditis elegans
''Caenorhabditis elegans'' () is a free-living transparent nematode about 1 mm in length that lives in temperate soil environments. It is the type species of its genus. The name is a Hybrid word, blend of the Greek ''caeno-'' (recent), ''r ...
''. In a show of appreciation for her efforts, the
MIT Lincoln Laboratory
The MIT Lincoln Laboratory, located in Lexington, Massachusetts, is a United States Department of Defense federally funded research and development center chartered to apply advanced technology to problems of national security. Research and dev ...
named a small
asteroid
An asteroid is a minor planet—an object larger than a meteoroid that is neither a planet nor an identified comet—that orbits within the Solar System#Inner Solar System, inner Solar System or is co-orbital with Jupiter (Trojan asteroids). As ...
after her:
23238 Ocasio-Cortez.
In high school, she took part in the
National Hispanic Institute
The National Hispanic Institute (NHI) is an international nonprofit organization dedicated to serving the future leadership needs of the global Hispanic community. Founded in 1979 in the State of Texas with the mission of serving the future lea ...
's
Lorenzo de Zavala
Manuel Lorenzo Justiniano de Zavala y Sánchez (October 3, 1788 – November 15, 1836), known simply as Lorenzo de Zavala, was a Mexican and later Tejano physician, politician, diplomat and author. Born in Yucatán (state), Yucatán under Vicero ...
(LDZ) Youth Legislative Session. After graduating, she became the LDZ secretary of state while attending
Boston University
Boston University (BU) is a Private university, private research university in Boston, Massachusetts, United States. BU was founded in 1839 by a group of Boston Methodism, Methodists with its original campus in Newbury (town), Vermont, Newbur ...
. Ocasio-Cortez had a
John F. Lopez Fellowship.
Her father died of lung cancer in 2008 during her second year of college,
and Ocasio-Cortez became involved in a lengthy
probate
In common law jurisdictions, probate is the judicial process whereby a will is "proved" in a court of law and accepted as a valid public document that is the true last testament of the deceased; or whereby, in the absence of a legal will, the e ...
dispute to settle his estate. She has said that the experience helped her learn "first-hand how attorneys appointed by the court to administer an estate can enrich themselves at the expense of the families struggling to make sense of the bureaucracy".
During college, Ocasio-Cortez was an intern for US senator
Ted Kennedy
Edward Moore Kennedy (February 22, 1932 – August 25, 2009) was an American lawyer and politician from Massachusetts who served as a member of the United States Senate from 1962 to his death in 2009. A member of the Democratic Party and ...
in his section on foreign affairs and immigration issues.
In interviews, she said she was the only Spanish speaker in the office and the sole person responsible for assisting Spanish-speaking constituents.
Ocasio-Cortez graduated ''
cum laude
Latin honors are a system of Latin phrases used in some colleges and universities to indicate the level of distinction with which an academic degree has been earned. The system is primarily used in the United States. It is also used in some Sout ...
'' from
Boston University
Boston University (BU) is a Private university, private research university in Boston, Massachusetts, United States. BU was founded in 1839 by a group of Boston Methodism, Methodists with its original campus in Newbury (town), Vermont, Newbur ...
in 2011 with a bachelor's degree in
international relations
International relations (IR, and also referred to as international studies, international politics, or international affairs) is an academic discipline. In a broader sense, the study of IR, in addition to multilateral relations, concerns al ...
and economics.
Early career
After college, Ocasio-Cortez moved back to the Bronx and took a job as a bartender and waitress to help her mother—a house cleaner and school bus driver—fight
foreclosure
Foreclosure is a legal process in which a lender attempts to recover the balance of a loan from a borrower who has Default (finance), stopped making payments to the lender by forcing the sale of the asset used as the Collateral (finance), coll ...
of their home.
She later launched Brook Avenue Press, a now-defunct publishing firm for books that portrayed the Bronx in a positive light. Ocasio-Cortez also worked for the nonprofit
National Hispanic Institute
The National Hispanic Institute (NHI) is an international nonprofit organization dedicated to serving the future leadership needs of the global Hispanic community. Founded in 1979 in the State of Texas with the mission of serving the future lea ...
.
During the 2016
primary
Primary or primaries may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Music Groups and labels
* Primary (band), from Australia
* Primary (musician), hip hop musician and record producer from South Korea
* Primary Music, Israeli record label
Work ...
, Ocasio-Cortez worked as an organizer for
Bernie Sanders's presidential campaign.
After the general election, she traveled across America by car, visiting places such as
Flint, Michigan
Flint is the largest city in Genesee County, Michigan, United States, and its county seat. Located along the Flint River (Michigan), Flint River northwest of Detroit, it is a principal city within the Central Michigan, Mid Michigan region. Flin ...
and the
Standing Rock Indian Reservation
The Standing Rock Sioux Tribe of North & South Dakota controls the Standing Rock Reservation (), which straddles the border between North and South Dakota in the United States, and is inhabited by ethnic "Hunkpapa and Sihasapa bands of Lako ...
in
North Dakota
North Dakota ( ) is a U.S. state in the Upper Midwest, named after the indigenous Dakota people, Dakota and Sioux peoples. It is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Saskatchewan and Manitoba to the north and by the U.S. states of Minneso ...
, and speaking to people affected by the
Flint water crisis
The Flint water crisis was a public health crisis from 2014 to 2019 which involved the drinking water for the city of Flint, Michigan, being contaminated with lead and possibly ''Legionella'' bacteria.
In April 2014, during a financial crisis, ...
and the
Dakota Access Pipeline
The Dakota Access Pipeline (DAPL) or Bakken pipeline is a underground pipeline in the United States that has the ability to transport up to 750,000 barrels of light sweet crude oil per day. It begins in the shale oil fields of the Bakken For ...
. In an interview she recalled her December 2016 visit to
Standing Rock
The Standing Rock Sioux Tribe of North & South Dakota controls the Standing Rock Reservation (), which straddles the border between North Dakota, North and South Dakota in the United States, and is inhabited by ethnic "Hunkpapa Lakota, Hunkp ...
as a tipping point, saying that before that, she had believed that the only way to run for office effectively was to have access to wealth, social influence, and power. But her visit to
North Dakota
North Dakota ( ) is a U.S. state in the Upper Midwest, named after the indigenous Dakota people, Dakota and Sioux peoples. It is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Saskatchewan and Manitoba to the north and by the U.S. states of Minneso ...
, where she saw others "putting their whole lives and everything that they had on the line for the protection of their community", inspired her to begin to work for her own community. One day after she visited North Dakota, she got a phone call from
Brand New Congress
Brand New Congress was an American political action committee with the mission to elect hundreds of new progressive congressional representatives in line with the campaign's political platform.
Background
Brand New Congress was a volunteer-le ...
, which was recruiting progressive candidates (her brother had nominated her soon after Election Day 2016).
Ocasio-Cortez said she was first exposed to the
Democratic Socialists of America
The Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) is a political organization in the United States and the country's largest Socialism, socialist organization. Sitting on the Left-wing politics, left-wing to Far-left politics, far-left of the politic ...
(DSA) when a friend brought her to a local meeting in
Upper Manhattan
Upper Manhattan is the northern section of the New York City borough of Manhattan. Its southern boundary has been variously defined, but some of the most common usages are 96th Street, 110th Street (the northern boundary of Central Park), 1 ...
. She has credited
Jabari Brisport
Jabari Brisport (born August 9, 1987) is an American politician, activist, and former public school teacher. He is the state senator for New York's 25th State Senate district in Brooklyn, and the first openly gay person of color to be elected to ...
's unsuccessful
City Council
A municipal council is the legislative body of a municipality or local government area. Depending on the location and classification of the municipality it may be known as a city council, town council, town board, community council, borough counc ...
campaign with restoring her belief in electoral politics, in running as a
socialist
Socialism is an economic ideology, economic and political philosophy encompassing diverse Economic system, economic and social systems characterised by social ownership of the means of production, as opposed to private ownership. It describes ...
candidate, and in the DSA as an organization.
Elections
2018

Ocasio-Cortez began her campaign in April 2017
while waiting tables and tending bar at Flats Fix, a
taqueria
A taco stand or taquería is a Food booth, food stall, food cart or restaurant that specializes in tacos and other List of Mexican dishes, Mexican dishes. The food is typically prepared quickly and tends to be inexpensive. Many various ingredien ...
in New York City's
Union Square.
"For 80 percent of this campaign, I operated out of a paper grocery bag hidden behind that bar," she told ''
Bon Appétit
''Bon Appétit'' is a monthly American food and entertaining magazine, that typically contains recipes, entertaining ideas, restaurant recommendations, and wine reviews. Owned by Condé Nast, it is headquartered at the One World Trade Center ...
''.
She was the first person since 2004 to challenge
Joe Crowley
Joseph Crowley (born March 16, 1962) is an American former politician who served as U.S. Representative from New York's 14th congressional district from 1999 to 2019. He was defeated by Democratic primary challenger Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez in ...
, the
Democratic Caucus Chair, in the primary. She faced a financial disadvantage, saying, "You can't really beat big money with more money. You have to beat them with a totally different game."
Ocasio-Cortez's campaign undertook
grassroots
A grassroots movement is one that uses the people in a given district, region or community as the basis for a political or continent movement. Grassroots movements and organizations use collective action from volunteers at the local level to imp ...
mobilization and did not take donations from corporations.
Her campaign posters' designs were said to have taken inspiration from "revolutionary posters and visuals from the past".
The candidates' only face-to-face encounter during the campaign occurred on a local political talk show, ''
Inside City Hall
''Inside City Hall'' is an American political talk show that appears on the 24-hour cable-news television channel NY1. The show's format and topics focus primarily on political issues concerning New York City, but it extends into other issues, su ...
'', on June 15. The format was a joint interview conducted by
Errol Louis
Errol T. Louis (born August 24, 1962) is a New York City journalist and television show host. He has unsuccessfully run for office several times.
Early life
Louis was born in Harlem and raised in New Rochelle, New York, by his father, Edward J. ...
, which
NY1
NY1 (also officially known as Spectrum News NY1 and spoken as New York One) is an American cable news television channel founded by Time Warner Cable, which itself is owned by Charter Communications through its acquisition in May 2016. The chan ...
characterized as a debate. A debate in the Bronx was scheduled for June 18, but Crowley did not participate. He sent former
New York City Council
The New York City Council is the lawmaking body of New York City in the United States. It has 51 members from 51 council districts throughout the five boroughs.
The council serves as a check against the mayor in a mayor-council government mod ...
member
Annabel Palma
Annabel Palma is an American politician and Commissioner and Chair of the New York City Commission on Human Rights. She previously served on the New York City Council from the 18th district from 2004 to 2017. She is a Democrat. The district inc ...
in his place.
Endorsements
Ocasio-Cortez was endorsed by progressive and civil rights organizations such as
MoveOn
MoveOn (formerly known as MoveOn.org) is a progressivism in the United States, progressive public policy advocacy group and political action committee. Formed in 1998 around one of the first massively viral email petitions, MoveOn has since grown ...
and
Democracy for America.
Then-Governor
Andrew Cuomo
Andrew Mark Cuomo ( , ; born December 6, 1957) is an American politician and lawyer who served as the 56th governor of New York from 2011 until his resignation in 2021. A member of the Democratic Party and son of former governor Mario Cuomo, ...
endorsed Crowley, as did both of New York's US senators,
Chuck Schumer
Charles Ellis Schumer ( ; born November 23, 1950) is an American politician serving as the Seniority in the United States Senate, senior United States Senate, United States senator from New York (state), New York, a seat he has held since 1999. ...
and
Kirsten Gillibrand
Kirsten Elizabeth Gillibrand (; ; born December 9, 1966) is an American lawyer and politician serving as the Seniority in the United States Senate, junior United States Senate, United States senator from New York (state), New York since 2009 ...
,
multiple US representatives, various local elected officials and trade unions, and groups such as the
Sierra Club
The Sierra Club is an American environmental organization with chapters in all 50 U.S. states, Washington, D.C., Washington D.C., and Puerto Rico. The club was founded in 1892, in San Francisco, by preservationist John Muir. A product of the Pro ...
,
Planned Parenthood
The Planned Parenthood Federation of America, Inc. (PPFA), or simply Planned Parenthood, is an American nonprofit organization ,
the
Working Families Party
The Working Families Party (WFP) is a progressive minor political party in the United States, founded in New York in 1998. There are active chapters in California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Georgia, Illinois ...
,
NARAL Pro-Choice America
Reproductive Freedom for All, formerly NARAL Pro-Choice America and commonly known as simply NARAL ( ), is a non-profit 501(c)(4) organization in the United States that engages in lobbying, politics, political action, and advocacy efforts to op ...
, and
Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America
Everytown for Gun Safety is an American non-profit organization which advocates for gun control and against gun violence
Gun-related violence is violence against a person committed with the use of a firearm to inflict a gunshot wound. Gun ...
, among others. California representative
Ro Khanna
Rohit Khanna (born September 13, 1976) is an American politician and lawyer serving as the United States House of Representatives, U.S. representative from California's 17th congressional district since 2017. A member of the Democratic Party (Un ...
, a
Justice Democrat
Justice Democrats (JD) is an American progressive political action committee and caucus founded on January 23, 2017, by two leaders of Bernie Sanders's 2016 presidential campaign, Saikat Chakrabarti and Zack Exley, as well as political com ...
like Ocasio-Cortez,
initially endorsed Crowley but later endorsed Ocasio-Cortez in an unusual dual endorsement.
Primary election
Ocasio-Cortez received 57.13% of the vote (15,897) to Crowley's 42.5% (11,761), defeating the 10-term incumbent by almost 15 percentage points on June 26, 2018. The result shocked many political commentators and analysts and immediately garnered nationwide attention. Many news sources, including ''
Time
Time is the continuous progression of existence that occurs in an apparently irreversible process, irreversible succession from the past, through the present, and into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequ ...
'',
CNN
Cable News Network (CNN) is a multinational news organization operating, most notably, a website and a TV channel headquartered in Atlanta. Founded in 1980 by American media proprietor Ted Turner and Reese Schonfeld as a 24-hour cable ne ...
, ''
The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
'', and ''
The Guardian
''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...
'' mentioned how the win completely defied their predictions and expectations.
She was outspent by a margin of 18 to1 ($1.5million to $83,000) but won the endorsement of some influential groups on the party's left. Crowley conceded defeat on election night, but did not telephone Ocasio-Cortez that night to congratulate her, fueling short-lived speculation that he intended to run against her in the general election.
Bernie Sanders
Bernard Sanders (born September8, 1941) is an American politician and activist who is the Seniority in the United States Senate, senior United States Senate, United States senator from the state of Vermont. He is the longest-serving independ ...
and
Noam Chomsky
Avram Noam Chomsky (born December 7, 1928) is an American professor and public intellectual known for his work in linguistics, political activism, and social criticism. Sometimes called "the father of modern linguistics", Chomsky is also a ...
congratulated her.
Several commentators noted the similarities between Ocasio-Cortez's victory over Crowley and
Dave Brat
David Alan Brat (born July 27, 1964) is an American academic and former politician. A member of the Republican Party, Brat served as the U.S. representative for Virginia's 7th congressional district from 2014 to 2019.
Brat came to national p ...
's
Tea Party movement
The Tea Party movement was an American fiscally conservative political movement within the Republican Party that began in 2007, catapulted into the mainstream by Congressman Ron Paul's presidential campaign. The movement expanded in resp ...
-supported 2014 victory over House majority leader
Eric Cantor
Eric Ivan Cantor (born June 6, 1963) is an American lawyer and former politician who represented Virginia's 7th congressional district in the United States House of Representatives from 2001 to 2014. A Republican, Cantor served as House Mino ...
in the Republican primary for
Virginia's 7th congressional district
Virginia's seventh congressional district is a United States congressional district in the U.S. state, Commonwealth of Virginia. The district encompasses a vast swath of Northern Virginia, Northern and Greater Richmond Region, Central Virginia ...
.
Like Crowley, Cantor was a high-ranking member in his party's caucus. After her primary win, Ocasio-Cortez endorsed several progressive primary challengers to Democratic incumbents nationwide, capitalizing on her fame and spending her political capital in a manner unusual even for unexpected primary winners.
Without campaigning for it, Ocasio-Cortez won the
Reform Party primary as a
write-in candidate
A write-in candidate is a candidate whose name does not appear on the ballot but seeks election by asking voters to cast a vote for the candidate by physically writing in the person's name on the ballot. Depending on electoral law it may be poss ...
in a neighboring congressional district,
New York's 15th, with a total vote count of nine, highest among all 22 write-in candidates. She declined the nomination.
General election
Ocasio-Cortez faced Republican nominee Anthony Pappas in the November 6 general election. Pappas, an economics professor, did not actively campaign. The 14th district has a
Cook Partisan Voting Index
The Cook Partisan Voting Index, abbreviated PVI or CPVI, is a measurement of how partisan a U.S. congressional district or U.S. state is. This partisanship is indicated as lean towards either the Republican Party or the Democratic Party, com ...
of D+29, making it New York City's sixth-most Democratic district, with registered Democrats outnumbering Republicans almost six to one.
Ocasio-Cortez was endorsed by various politically
progressive organizations and figures, including former president
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II (born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who was the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the first African American president in American history. O ...
and US senator
Bernie Sanders
Bernard Sanders (born September8, 1941) is an American politician and activist who is the Seniority in the United States Senate, senior United States Senate, United States senator from the state of Vermont. He is the longest-serving independ ...
. She spoke at the
Netroots Nation
Netroots Nation is a political Convention (meeting), convention for American Progressivism in the United States, progressive political activists. Originally organized by readers and writers of Daily Kos, a Liberalism, liberal political blog, i ...
conference in August 2018, and was called "the undisputed star of the convention".
Crowley remained on the ballot as the nominee of the
Working Families Party
The Working Families Party (WFP) is a progressive minor political party in the United States, founded in New York in 1998. There are active chapters in California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Georgia, Illinois ...
(WFP) and the
Women's Equality Party
The Women's Equality Party (WEP) was a feminist political party set up in the United Kingdom in 2015. The idea was conceived by Catherine Mayer and Sandi Toksvig at the Women of the World Festival, when they concluded that there was a need f ...
(WEP). Neither he nor the WFP party actively campaigned, both having endorsed Ocasio-Cortez after the Democratic primary. Ocasio-Cortez called the WEP, which Governor Cuomo created ahead of the
2014 New York gubernatorial election
The 2014 New York gubernatorial election took place on November 4, 2014. Incumbent Democratic governor Andrew Cuomo sought re-election to a second term in office, though incumbent lieutenant governor Robert Duffy did not seek re-election. Cu ...
, a cynical, centrist group that endorsed male incumbents over female challengers like her and
Cynthia Nixon
Cynthia Ellen Nixon (born April 9, 1966) is an American actress, activist, and theater director. For her portrayal of Miranda Hobbes in the HBO series ''Sex and the City'' (1998–2004), she won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supportin ...
. Former Connecticut senator
Joe Lieberman
Joseph Isadore Lieberman (; February 24, 1942 – March 27, 2024) was an American politician and lawyer who served as a United States senator from Connecticut from 1989 to 2013. Originally a member of the Democratic Party (United States), Dem ...
, who won reelection in 2006 on a third-party line
after losing the Democratic primary in 2006, penned a July 17 column in the ''
Wall Street Journal
''The Wall Street Journal'' (''WSJ''), also referred to simply as the ''Journal,'' is an American newspaper based in New York City. The newspaper provides extensive coverage of news, especially business and finance. It operates on a subscriptio ...
'' expressing hope that Crowley would actively campaign on the WFP
ballot line. WFP executive director Dan Cantor wrote an endorsement of, and apology to, Ocasio-Cortez for the ''
New York Daily News
The ''Daily News'' is an American newspaper based in Jersey City, New Jersey. It was founded in 1919 by Joseph Medill Patterson in New York City as the ''Illustrated Daily News''. It was the first U.S. daily printed in Tabloid (newspaper format ...
''; he asked voters not to vote for Crowley if his name remained on the general election ballot.
Ocasio-Cortez won the election with 78% of the vote (110,318) to Pappas's 14% (17,762). Crowley, on the WFP and WEP lines, received 9,348 votes (6.6%). Her election was part of a broader Democratic victory in the 2018 midterm elections, as the party gained control of the House by picking up 41 seats.
Saikat Chakrabarti
Saikat Chakrabarti (born January 12, 1986) is an American political advisor, left-wing activist, and software engineer. He was formerly chief of staff to Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, the U.S. representative from New York's 14th congressional distric ...
, who had been her campaign co-chair, became
chief of staff
The title chief of staff (or head of staff) identifies the leader of a complex organization such as the armed forces, institution, or body of persons and it also may identify a principal staff officer (PSO), who is the coordinator of the supportin ...
for her congressional office.
His departure in 2019 drew considerable speculation as to whether Ocasio-Cortez was trying to implement a more moderate strategy.
Media coverage
The first media network to give Ocasio-Cortez a platform and extensively cover her campaign and policies was ''
The Young Turks
''The Young Turks'' (''TYT'') is an American progressive and left-wing populist sociopolitical news and commentary program live streamed on social media platforms YouTube and Twitch, and additionally selected television channels. ''TYT'' se ...
'', a left-wing online news program.
After her primary win, she quickly garnered nationwide media attention, including numerous articles and TV talk-show appearances.
She also drew a great amount of media attention when she and Sanders campaigned for
James Thompson in
Kansas
Kansas ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to the west. Kansas is named a ...
in July 2018. A rally in
Wichita had to be moved from a theater with a capacity of 1,500 when far more people said they would attend. The event drew 4,000 people, with some seated on the floor.
In ''
The New Yorker
''The New Yorker'' is an American magazine featuring journalism, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons, and poetry. It was founded on February 21, 1925, by Harold Ross and his wife Jane Grant, a reporter for ''The New York T ...
'', Benjamin Wallace-Wells wrote that while Sanders remained "the
de-facto leader of an increasingly popular left,
e is unable todo things that do not come naturally to him, like supply hope." Wallace-Wells suggested that Ocasio-Cortez had made Sanders's task easier, as he could point to her success to show that ideas "once considered to be radical are now part of the mainstream".
Until she defeated incumbent
Joe Crowley
Joseph Crowley (born March 16, 1962) is an American former politician who served as U.S. Representative from New York's 14th congressional district from 1999 to 2019. He was defeated by Democratic primary challenger Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez in ...
in the 2018 Democratic primary, Ocasio-Cortez received little coverage on most traditional news media outlets.
Jimmy Dore
James Patrick Anthony Dore (born July 26, 1965) is an American stand-up comedian, political commentator, podcaster and YouTube personality. He is the host of '' The Jimmy Dore Show'', a comedic political talk show on YouTube.
Dore started as a ...
interviewed her when she first announced her candidacy in June 2017. After her primary win,
Brian Stelter
Brian Patrick Stelter (born September 3, 1985) is an American journalist best known as the former chief media correspondent for CNN and host of the CNN program ''Reliable Sources'', roles he held from 2013 to 2022. He returned to CNN in 2024. St ...
wrote that progressive-media outlets, such as ''
The Young Turks
''The Young Turks'' (''TYT'') is an American progressive and left-wing populist sociopolitical news and commentary program live streamed on social media platforms YouTube and Twitch, and additionally selected television channels. ''TYT'' se ...
'' and ''
The Intercept
''The Intercept'' is an American left-wing nonprofit news organization that publishes articles and podcasts online. ''The Intercept'' has published in English since its founding in 2014, and in Portuguese since the 2016 launch of the Brazilia ...
'', "saw the Ocasio-Cortez upset coming" in advance.
Margaret Sullivan wrote in ''
The Washington Post
''The Washington Post'', locally known as ''The'' ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'' or ''WP'', is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C., the national capital. It is the most widely circulated newspaper in the Washington m ...
'' that traditional metrics of measuring a campaign's viability, like total fundraising, were contributing to a "media failure" and that "they need to get closer to what voters are thinking and feeling: their anger and resentment, their disenfranchisement from the centers of power, their pocketbook concerns."
Ocasio-Cortez's campaign was featured on the cover of the June 2018 edition of ''
The Indypendent
''The Indypendent'' is a progressive newspaper based in Brooklyn, New York, United States. It is published monthly, distributed worldwide and is available for free throughout New York City and online. It currently prints 30,000 copies per issue, ...
'', a free New York City-based monthly newspaper. In a tweet she hailed the cover appearance on "NYC's classic monthly" as an important breakthrough for her campaign. Otherwise Ocasio-Cortez was barely mentioned in print until her primary win.
Ocasio-Cortez was one of the subjects of the 2018
Michael Moore
Michael Francis Moore is an American film director, producer, screenwriter, and author. Moore's work frequently addresses various Social issue, social, political, and economic topics. He first became publicly known for his award-winning debut ...
documentary ''
Fahrenheit 11/9
''Fahrenheit 11/9'' is a 2018 American documentary by filmmaker Michael Moore about the 2016 United States presidential election and first presidency of Donald Trump up to the time of the film's release. The film is a follow-up to Moore's ''Fah ...
''; it chronicled her primary campaign.
In an attempt to embarrass Ocasio-Cortez just before she took office, Twitter user "AnonymousQ" shared a video dating to Ocasio-Cortez's college years: a
Boston University
Boston University (BU) is a Private university, private research university in Boston, Massachusetts, United States. BU was founded in 1839 by a group of Boston Methodism, Methodists with its original campus in Newbury (town), Vermont, Newbur ...
student-produced dance video in which she briefly appeared.
Many social media users came to her defense, inspiring memes and a Twitter account syncing the footage to songs like "
Mambo No. 5
"Mambo No. 5" is an instrumental mambo and jazz dance song originally composed and recorded by Cuban musician Dámaso Pérez Prado in 1949 and released the next year. German singer Lou Bega sampled the original for a new song released under the s ...
" and "
Gangnam Style
"Gangnam Style" () is a K-pop song by South Korean singer Psy, released on July 15, 2012, by YG Entertainment as the lead single of his sixth studio album, ''Psy 6 (Six Rules), Part 1'' (''Ssai Yukgap Part 1''). The term "Gangnam Style" is a n ...
".
Ocasio-Cortez responded by posting a video of herself dancing to
Edwin Starr
Charles Edwin Hatcher (January 21, 1942 – April 2, 2003), known by his stage name Edwin Starr, was an American singer and songwriter. He is best remembered for his Norman Whitfield-produced Motown singles of the 1970s, most notably the num ...
's "
War
War is an armed conflict between the armed forces of states, or between governmental forces and armed groups that are organized under a certain command structure and have the capacity to sustain military operations, or between such organi ...
" outside her congressional office.
Elizabeth Warren
Elizabeth Ann Warren (née Herring; born June 22, 1949) is an American politician and former law professor who is the Seniority in the United States Senate, senior United States senator from the state of Massachusetts, serving since 2013. A mem ...
wrote the entry on Ocasio-Cortez for 2019's
''Time'' 100. The documentary ''
Knock Down the House
''Knock Down the House'' is a 2019 American documentary film directed by Rachel Lears. It revolves around the 2018 congressional primary campaigns of Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Amy Vilela, Cori Bush and Paula Jean Swearengin, four progressiv ...
'', directed by
Rachel Lears, which focuses on four female Democrats in the
2018 United States elections
Elections were held in the United States on November 6, 2018. These midterm elections occurred during incumbent Republican president Donald Trump's first term. Although the Republican Party increased its majority in the Senate, Democratic incu ...
who were not career politicians—Ocasio-Cortez,
Amy Vilela,
Cori Bush
Cori Anika Bush (born July 21, 1976) is an American politician, nurse, pastor, and Black Lives Matter activist who served as the United States House of Representatives, U.S. representative for from 2021 to 2025. The district includes all of the ...
and
Paula Jean Swearengin
Paula Jean Swearengin (born June 13, 1974) is an American activist and politician who was the Democratic nominee in the 2020 U.S. Senate election in West Virginia, and a candidate in the Democratic primary for the state's other Senate seat in 2 ...
—premiered at the
2019 Sundance Film Festival
The 2019 Sundance Film Festival took place from January 24 to February 3, 2019. The first lineup of competition films was announced on November 28, 2018.
Films
U.S. Dramatic Competition
* '' Before You Know It'' by Hannah Pearl Utt
* '' ...
. Ocasio-Cortez was the only one of the women featured in the film to win. It was released by
Netflix
Netflix is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service. The service primarily distributes original and acquired films and television shows from various genres, and it is available internationally in multiple lang ...
on May 1, 2019. Ocasio-Cortez also appeared in Lears's 2022 film ''
To the End'', which focuses on the effects of
climate change
Present-day climate change includes both global warming—the ongoing increase in Global surface temperature, global average temperature—and its wider effects on Earth's climate system. Climate variability and change, Climate change in ...
. The film debuted at the
2022 Sundance Film Festival
The 2022 Sundance Film Festival took place from January 20 to 30, 2022. Due to COVID-19 pandemic in Utah, COVID-19 pandemic protocol, it was initially intended to be an in-person/virtual hybrid festival, but on January 5, 2022, it was announced ...
and was presented at the
Tribeca Film Festival
The Tribeca Festival is an annual film festival organized by Tribeca Enterprises. It takes place each spring in New York City, showcasing a diverse selection of film, episodic, talks, music, games, art, and immersive programming. The festival ...
in June 2022.
2020
Michelle Caruso-Cabrera
Michelle Caruso-Cabrera (born February 9, 1969) is an American journalist, board member and former politician. She was CNBC's first Latina anchor at and first Chief International Correspondent regular and is now a CNBC contributor, where she has ...
challenged Ocasio-Cortez in the 2020 Democratic primary. After Ocasio-Cortez won the nomination, Caruso-Cabrera reorganized and ran in the general election as the
Serve America Movement
The Serve America Movement (SAM) was a big tent political organization founded in 2017 by Morgan Stanley attorney Eric Grossman. The party achieved its first state party in New York with ballot access, but as of November 4, 2021, it lost its bal ...
nominee.
Ocasio-Cortez's Republican challengers in the general election included nominee John Cummings, a former police officer, and
Antoine Tucker
The 2022 United States Senate election in New York was held on November 8, 2022, to elect a member of the United States Senate to represent the State of New York.
Incumbent four-term Democratic Senator Chuck Schumer, who had served as Senate ...
, a
write-in candidate
A write-in candidate is a candidate whose name does not appear on the ballot but seeks election by asking voters to cast a vote for the candidate by physically writing in the person's name on the ballot. Depending on electoral law it may be poss ...
.
The ''
American Prospect
''The American Prospect'' is a daily online and bimonthly print American political and public policy magazine dedicated to American modern liberalism and progressivism. Based in Washington, D.C., ''The American Prospect'' says it "is devoted to ...
'' wrote in October 2020 that Ocasio-Cortez was "spending the 2020 campaign running workshops" for constituents on workplace organizing, fighting eviction, and organizing childcare.
They noted that Ocasio-Cortez was often not featured in the streamed workshops, saying the "strategy decentralizes the candidate from her own campaign".
On October 20, 2020, Ocasio-Cortez hosted a
Twitch
Twitch may refer to:
Biology
* Muscle contraction
** Convulsion, rapid and repeated muscle contraction and relaxation
** Fasciculation, a small, local, involuntary muscle contraction
** Myoclonic twitch, a jerk usually caused by sudden muscle c ...
stream of the
social deduction game
A social deduction game is a game in which players attempt to uncover each other's hidden role or team allegiance. Commonly, these games are played with teams, with one team being considered "good" and another being "bad". During gameplay, players ...
''
Among Us
''Among Us'' is a 2018 online multiplayer social deduction game developed and published by American game studio Innersloth. The game allows for cross-platform play; it was released on iOS and Android (operating system), Android devices in J ...
'', with fellow congresswoman
Ilhan Omar
Ilhan Abdullahi Omar (born October 4, 1982) is an American politician serving as the U.S. representative for since 2019. She is a member of the Democratic Party. Before her election to Congress, Omar served in the Minnesota House of Represen ...
, and many established streamers such as
Pokimane
Imane Anys (; Arabic: إِيمَان أَنِيس, born 14 May 1996), known professionally as Pokimane ( or ), is a Canadian online streamer, YouTuber and influencer. She is best known for gameplay and commentary livestreams on Twitch, most no ...
,
Hasan Piker
Hasan Doğan Piker ( ; ; born July 25, 1991), also known as HasanAbi, is a Turkish-American online streamer, YouTuber, influencer, and left-wing political commentator. His streams typically consist of political and social commentary, gaming, a ...
,
DrLupo
Benjamin Lupo (born March 20, 1987), better known as DrLupo, is an American streamer and YouTuber particularly known for his charity streams in association with St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.
Career
Lupo began his career streaming with ...
, and
mxmtoon
Maia (born July 9, 2000), known professionally as mxmtoon ( ), is an American singer-songwriter and YouTuber. Her music is characterized by emotionally transparent, confessional lyrics and often employs the ukulele. She released her first EP, ...
. The stream peaked with over 400,000 viewers and, according to ''
The Guardian
''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...
'' Joshua Rivera, succeeded in humanizing her. Ocasio-Cortez again streamed ''Among Us'' on Twitch on November 27, 2020, with
Hasan Piker
Hasan Doğan Piker ( ; ; born July 25, 1991), also known as HasanAbi, is a Turkish-American online streamer, YouTuber, influencer, and left-wing political commentator. His streams typically consist of political and social commentary, gaming, a ...
,
xQc
Félix Lengyel (; born November 12, 1995), better known as xQc (formerly xQcOW), is a Canadian online streamer, influencer, and former professional ''Overwatch (video game), Overwatch'' player.
While he is best known for his streaming career ...
,
ContraPoints
Natalie Wynn (born October 21, 1988) is an American left-wing YouTuber, political commentator, and cultural critic. She is best known for her YouTube channel, ContraPoints, where she creates video essays exploring topics such as politics, gen ...
and
Canadian MP
A member of Parliament (post-nominal letters: MP; , ) is an elected politician in the House of Commons of Canada, the lower house of the Parliament of Canada.
Terminology
The term's primary use is in reference to the members of the House of ...
Jagmeet Singh
Jagmeet Singh Jimmy Dhaliwal (born January 2, 1979) is a Canadian former politician who served as the leader of the New Democratic Party (NDP) from 2017 to 2025 and as the Member of Parliament (Canada), member of Parliament (MP) for Burnaby Sou ...
to raise money for
food pantries
A food bank or food pantry is a non-profit, charitable organization that distributes food to those who have difficulty purchasing enough to avoid hunger, usually through intermediaries like food pantries and soup kitchens. Some food banks distrib ...
, eviction defense legal aid, and community support organizations to assist those suffering
economic hardship during the COVID-19 pandemic. The stream raised $200,000 and Ocasio-Cortez wrote, "This is going to make such a difference for those who need it most right now."
2022
Ocasio-Cortez ran unopposed in the Democratic primary.
She defeated Republican Tina Forte and
Conservative Party nominee Desi Cuellar in the general election.
2024
In May, the
DSA debated whether to endorse Ocasio-Cortez. Some members argued that she was more committed to the
Democratic Party and that her positions on
Palestine
Palestine, officially the State of Palestine, is a country in West Asia. Recognized by International recognition of Palestine, 147 of the UN's 193 member states, it encompasses the Israeli-occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and th ...
had become weaker. On June 23, the DSA National Political Committee (NPC) voted to endorse her so long as she fulfilled its list of demands, most concerning Palestine. The New York City chapter, which endorsed her, rejected the deal. On July 10, the NPC withdrew its endorsement of Ocasio-Cortez, citing her participation in a panel that conflated
antisemitism
Antisemitism or Jew-hatred is hostility to, prejudice towards, or discrimination against Jews. A person who harbours it is called an antisemite. Whether antisemitism is considered a form of racism depends on the school of thought. Antisemi ...
with
anti-Zionism
Anti-Zionism is opposition to Zionism. Although anti-Zionism is a heterogeneous phenomenon, all its proponents agree that the creation of the State of Israel in 1948, and the movement to create a sovereign Jewish state in the Palestine (region) ...
, her support for a resolution that characterized denial of Israel's
right to exist
The right to exist is said to be an attribute of nations. According to an essay by the 19th-century French philosopher Ernest Renan, a state has the right to exist when individuals are willing to sacrifice their own interests for the community ...
as antisemitism, and a co-signed press release in support of the
Iron Dome
Iron Dome () is an Israeli mobile all-weather air defense system, developed by Rafael Advanced Defense Systems and Israel Aerospace Industries. The system is designed to intercept and destroy short-range rockets and artillery shells fired f ...
defense system.
Investment banker Marty Dolan, a moderate Democrat, ran against Ocasio-Cortez in the primary. Ocasio-Cortez won overwhelmingly.
Ocasio-Cortez again easily won the general election against Forte. Some voters in her district
split their tickets, voting for Ocasio-Cortez and for
Trump
Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who is the 47th president of the United States. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he served as the 45 ...
in the
presidential election
A presidential election is the election of any head of state whose official title is President.
Elections by country
Albania
The president of Albania is elected by the Assembly of Albania who are elected by the Albanian public.
Chile
The p ...
.
Harris
Harris may refer to:
Places Canada
* Harris, Ontario
* Northland Pyrite Mine (also known as Harris Mine)
* Harris, Saskatchewan
* Rural Municipality of Harris No. 316, Saskatchewan
Scotland
* Harris, Outer Hebrides (sometimes called the Isle ...
won 65% of the district's vote and Trump 33%, an increase from 2020. A political analyst said this was because both Trump and Ocasio-Cortez "were leading with the message of working-class pocketbook issues". Ocasio-Cortez asked those who split their tickets why they did so; some said that they both cared about the working class and were "less establishment", while others cited the
Gaza war
The Gaza war is an armed conflict in the Gaza Strip and southern Israel fought since 7 October 2023. A part of the unresolved Israeli–Palestinian conflict, Israeli–Palestinian and Gaza–Israel conflict, Gaza–Israel conflicts dating ...
and the economy.
Tenure
Taking office at age 29, Ocasio-Cortez is
the youngest woman ever to serve in the United States Congress, and also the youngest member of the
116th Congress
The 116th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government, composed of the United States Senate, Senate and the United States House of Representati ...
.
When the 116th Congress convened on January 3, 2019, Ocasio-Cortez entered with no
seniority
Seniority is the state of being older or placed in a higher position of status relative to another individual, group, or organization. For example, one employee may be senior to another either by role or rank (such as a CEO vice a manager), or by ...
but with a large social media presence.
''Axios'' credited her with "as much social media clout as her fellow freshman Democrats combined".
, she has 13.1million
X (formerly Twitter) followers,
up from 1.4 million in November 2018.
[ As of January 2025, she has 8.4 million followers on ]Instagram
Instagram is an American photo sharing, photo and Short-form content, short-form video sharing social networking service owned by Meta Platforms. It allows users to upload media that can be edited with Social media camera filter, filters, be ...
and 1.8 million on Facebook. Ocasio-Cortez is also the most followed user on Bluesky
Bluesky is a microblogging social media social networking service, service. Users can share short posts containing text, images, and videos. It is owned by Bluesky Social PBC, a benefit corporation based in the United States.
Bluesky was dev ...
, with 2 million followers as of March 2025. Her colleagues appointed her to teach them social media lessons upon her arrival in Congress. In July 2019, two lawsuits were filed against her for blocking Joey Salads
Joseph Peter Saladino, known professionally as Joey Salads, is an American YouTube personality and prankster from New York City. His eponymous main channel, and second channel Just Viral TV have a total of 557,066,992 video views and over 10 ...
and Dov Hikind
Dov Bernard Hikind (born June 30, 1950) is an American politician, activist, and radio talk show host in the state of New York. Hikind served as a Democratic New York State Assemblyman representing Brooklyn's Assembly district 48 for 35 years ...
on Twitter in light of the Second Circuit Court of Appeals
The United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit (in case citations, 2d Cir.) is one of the thirteen United States Courts of Appeals. Its territory covers the states of Connecticut, New York, and Vermont, and it has appellate jurisdic ...
ruling that it was a violation of the First Amendment
First most commonly refers to:
* First, the ordinal form of the number 1
First or 1st may also refer to:
Acronyms
* Faint Images of the Radio Sky at Twenty-Centimeters, an astronomical survey carried out by the Very Large Array
* Far Infrared a ...
for President Trump
Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who is the 47th president of the United States. A member of the Republican Party, he served as the 45th president from 2017 to 2021.
...
to block people on Twitter. On November 4, 2019, it was announced that the lawsuit had been settled; Ocasio-Cortez issued an apology.
In a 2019 interview, Ocasio-Cortez said she had stopped using her private Facebook account and was minimizing her usage of all social media accounts and platforms, calling them a "public health risk".
Arrival
In November 2018, on the first day of congressional orientation, Ocasio-Cortez participated in a climate change
Present-day climate change includes both global warming—the ongoing increase in Global surface temperature, global average temperature—and its wider effects on Earth's climate system. Climate variability and change, Climate change in ...
protest outside the office of House Minority Leader
Party leaders of the United States House of Representatives, also known as floor leaders, are congresspeople who coordinate legislative initiatives and serve as the chief spokespersons for their parties on the House floor. These leaders are el ...
Nancy Pelosi
Nancy Patricia Pelosi ( ; ; born March 26, 1940) is an American politician who was the List of Speakers of the United States House of Representatives, 52nd speaker of the United States House of Representatives, serving from 2007 to 2011 an ...
. Also that month, she backed Pelosi's bid to be Speaker of the House
The speaker of a deliberative assembly, especially a legislative body, is its presiding officer, or the chair. The title was first used in 1377 in England.
Usage
The title was first recorded in 1377 to describe the role of Thomas de Hung ...
on the condition that Pelosi "remains the most progressive candidate for speaker".
When Ocasio-Cortez made her first speech on the floor of Congress in January 2019, C-SPAN
Cable-Satellite Public Affairs Network (C-SPAN ) is an American Cable television in the United States, cable and Satellite television in the United States, satellite television network, created in 1979 by the cable television industry as a Non ...
tweeted the video. Within 12 hours, the video of her speech set the record as C-SPAN's most-watched Twitter video of a member of the House of Representatives
House of Representatives is the name of legislative bodies in many countries and sub-national entities. In many countries, the House of Representatives is the lower house of a bicameral legislature, with the corresponding upper house often ...
.
Hearings
In February 2019, speaking at a congressional hearing
A United States congressional hearing is the principal formal method by which United States congressional committees collect and analyze information in the early stages of legislative policymaking. Whether confirmation hearings (a procedure uniqu ...
with a panel of representatives from campaign finance
Campaign financealso called election finance, political donations, or political financerefers to the funds raised to promote candidates, political parties, or policy initiatives and referendums. Donors and recipients include individuals, corpor ...
watchdog
Watchdog or watch dog may refer to:
Animals
*Guard dog, a dog that barks to alert its owners of an intruder's presence
* Portuguese Watchdog, Cão de Castro Laboreiro, a dog breed
* Moscow Watchdog, a breed of dog that was bred in the Soviet U ...
groups, Ocasio-Cortez questioned the panel about ethics regulations as they apply to both the president and members of Congress. She asserted that no regulations prevent lawmakers "from being bought off by wealthy corporations". With more than 37.5 million views, the clip became the most-watched political video posted on Twitter.
When President Donald Trump
Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who is the 47th president of the United States. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he served as the 45 ...
's former lawyer Michael Cohen appeared before the Oversight Committee in February 2019, Ocasio-Cortez asked him whether Trump had inflated property values for bank or insurance purposes. Cohen's reply implied that Trump may have committed tax
A tax is a mandatory financial charge or levy imposed on an individual or legal entity by a governmental organization to support government spending and public expenditures collectively or to regulate and reduce negative externalities. Tax co ...
and bank fraud
Bank fraud is the use of potentially illegal means to obtain money, assets, or other property owned or held by a financial institution, or to obtain money from depositors by fraudulently posing as a bank or other financial institution. In many ins ...
. The president of the American Constitution Society
American(s) may refer to:
* American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America"
** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America
** American ancestry, p ...
named Ocasio-Cortez as the committee member best at obtaining specific information from Cohen about Trump's "shady practices, along with a road map for how to find out more". ''New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
'' columnist David Brooks praised her skill in questioning Cohen. The exchange between Ocasio-Cortez and Cohen prompted an investigation by New York attorney general
The attorney general of New York is the chief legal officer of the U.S. state of New York and head of the Department of Law of the state government. The office has existed in various forms since 1626, originally established under the Dutch c ...
Letitia James
Letitia Ann "Tish" James (born October 18, 1958) is an American lawyer and politician serving since 2019 as the 67th Attorney General of New York, attorney general of New York (NYAG), having won the 2018 New York Attorney General election, 2018 ...
, who referred to it in August 2020 when filing legal action to compel Trump's companies to comply with subpoenas about financial information, and to compel his son Eric Trump
Eric Frederick Trump (born January 6, 1984) is an American businessman, activist, and former reality television presenter. He is the third child and second son of U.S. President Donald Trump and his first wife, Ivana Trump.
Trump is a truste ...
to testify. Further developments as a result of the exchange saw James form a civil investigation and lawsuit against the Trump Organization
The Trump Organization, Inc. is an American Conglomerate (company), conglomerate. Privately owned by Donald Trump, it serves as the holding company for most of Business career of Donald Trump, Trump's business ventures and investments, with ar ...
regarding potential financial fraud, which resulted in a fine of $354 million and a ban on Trump doing business in New York for two to three years.
Media coverage
According to reports in March 2019, Ocasio-Cortez continued to receive media coverage early in her congressional tenure on par with that of 2020 presidential candidates and was considered "one of the faces of the Democratic party" and one of the most talked-about politicians in the United States. Between July8 and 14, 2019, she drew more social media attention than the Democratic presidential candidates. Tracking company NewsWhip
NewsWhip is a social media analytics and engagement tracking firm founded by Paul Quigley and Andrew Mullaney in 2011. The company monitors content based on user engagement metrics, geographic distribution, audience interests, and changes in thos ...
found that interactions with news articles on Ocasio-Cortez numbered 4.8 million, while no Democratic presidential candidate got more than 1.2 million. David Bauder of the Associated Press
The Associated Press (AP) is an American not-for-profit organization, not-for-profit news agency headquartered in New York City.
Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association, and produces news reports that are dist ...
wrote that Trump's supporters were thus having "some success" in having "Ocasio-Cortez be top of mind when people think of" the Democratic Party.
According to a Media Matters for America
Media Matters for America (MMfA) is a non-profit left-leaning watchdog journalism organization. It was founded in 2004 by journalist and political activist David Brock as a counterweight to the conservative Media Research Center. It seeks to ...
study, Ocasio-Cortez was intensely discussed on sister television channels Fox News
The Fox News Channel (FNC), commonly known as Fox News, is an American Multinational corporation, multinational Conservatism in the United States, conservative List of news television channels, news and political commentary Television stati ...
and Fox Business
Fox Business (officially known as Fox Business Network, or FBN) is an American conservative business news channel and website publication owned by the Fox News Media division of Fox Corporation. The channel broadcasts primarily from studios ...
, being mentioned every day from February 25 to April 7, 2019, for a total of 3,181 mentions in 42 days. ''The Guardian
''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...
'' David Smith wrote that this is evidence that Fox is "obsessed by Ocasio-Cortez, portraying her as a radical socialist who threatens the American way of life". Brian Stelter
Brian Patrick Stelter (born September 3, 1985) is an American journalist best known as the former chief media correspondent for CNN and host of the CNN program ''Reliable Sources'', roles he held from 2013 to 2022. He returned to CNN in 2024. St ...
of CNN Business
CNN Business (formerly CNN Money) is a financial news and information website, operated by CNN. The website was originally formed as a joint venture between CNN.com and Time Warner's '' Fortune'' and ''Money'' magazines. Since the spin-off of T ...
found that between January and July 2019, she had nearly three times as many mentions on Fox News
The Fox News Channel (FNC), commonly known as Fox News, is an American Multinational corporation, multinational Conservatism in the United States, conservative List of news television channels, news and political commentary Television stati ...
as on CNN
Cable News Network (CNN) is a multinational news organization operating, most notably, a website and a TV channel headquartered in Atlanta. Founded in 1980 by American media proprietor Ted Turner and Reese Schonfeld as a 24-hour cable ne ...
and MSNBC
MSNBC is an American cable news channel owned by the NBCUniversal News Group division of NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast. Launched on July 15, 1996, and headquartered at 30 Rockefeller Plaza in Manhattan, the channel primarily broadcasts r ...
. Stelter wrote that the attention Ocasio-Cortez is receiving has caused "the perception, particularly on the right, that her positions and policies are representative of the Democratic Party as a whole". In March 2019, ''Time Magazine
''Time'' (stylized in all caps as ''TIME'') is an American news magazine based in New York City. It was published weekly for nearly a century. Starting in March 2020, it transitioned to every other week. It was first published in New York Cit ...
'' said Ocasio-Cortez was the "second-most talked about politician" in the United States, after Trump, and called her "the Wonder Woman
Wonder Woman is a superheroine who appears in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character first appeared in ''All Star Comics'' Introducing Wonder Woman, #8, published October 21, 1941, with her first feature in ''Sensation Comic ...
of the left".[
In March 2019, '']PolitiFact
PolitiFact.com is an American nonprofit project operated by the Poynter Institute in St. Petersburg, Florida, with offices there and in Washington, D.C. It began in 2007 as a project of the ''Tampa Bay Times'' (then the ''St. Petersburg Times ...
'' reported that Ocasio-Cortez is "one of the most targeted politicians for hoax claims, despite the fact that she just entered Congress as a freshman". Fake quotes attributed to her, fake photos of her, and false rumors about her have spread on social media. Some of these have originated from 4chan
4chan is an anonymous English-language imageboard website. Launched by Christopher "moot" Poole in October 2003, the site hosts boards dedicated to a wide variety of topics, from video games and television to literature, cooking, weapons, mu ...
and r/The_Donald
r/The_Donald was a subreddit where participants created discussions and internet memes in support of U.S. president Donald Trump. Initially created in June 2015 following the announcement of Trump's 2016 presidential campaign, the community ...
. By July 2019, the fake material included attributing things Trump said to Ocasio-Cortez, such as "I have a very good brain and I've said lots of things." On July 18, 2019, Charlie Rispoli, a police officer from Gretna, Louisiana
Gretna is the second-largest city in, and parish seat of, Jefferson Parish, Louisiana, Jefferson Parish in the U.S. state of Louisiana.
"Gretna, Louisiana (LA) Detailed Profile" (notes),
''City Data'', 2007, webpage:
C-Gretna
"Census ...
, posted on Facebook an apparent threat to shoot Ocasio-Cortez, calling her a "vile idiot" who "needs a round, and I don't mean the kind she used to serve" as a bartender. Rispoli posted the comment in response to a fake news
Fake news or information disorder is false or misleading information (misinformation, disinformation, propaganda, and hoaxes) claiming the aesthetics and legitimacy of news. Fake news often has the aim of damaging the reputation of a person ...
article that falsely quoted Ocasio-Cortez as saying, "We pay soldiers too much". Rispoli was fired for his post and his Facebook account was deleted.
Ocasio-Cortez is known to wear red lipstick, usually by the American makeup brand Stila Cosmetics in the shade "Beso", as a style trait of Latina
Latina or Latinas most often refers to:
* Latinas, a demographic group in the United States
* Latino (demonym), a term used in the United States for people with cultural ties to Latin America.
*Latin Americans
Latina and Latinas may also refer ...
women from the Bronx. In a skincare tutorial for ''Vogue
Vogue may refer to:
Business
* ''Vogue'' (magazine), a US fashion magazine
** British ''Vogue'', a British fashion magazine
** '' Vogue Adria'', a fashion magazine for former Yugoslav countries
** ''Vogue Arabia'', an Arab fashion magazine
** ' ...
'', she explained that beauty and femininity are important to her because these things are often used against women in politics and society, and that self-love
Self-love, defined as "love of self" or "regard for one's own happiness or advantage", has been conceptualized both as a basic human necessity and as a moral flaw, akin to vanity and selfishness, synonymous with amour-propre, conceitedness, ...
is like a "mini protest" against misogynistic
Misogyny () is hatred of, contempt for, or prejudice against women or girls. It is a form of sexism that can keep women at a lower social status than men, thus maintaining the social roles of patriarchy. Misogyny has been widely practis ...
critiques.
Met Gala appearance
Ocasio-Cortez attended the 2021 Met Gala
The Met Gala, formally called the Costume Institute Benefit, is the annual haute couture fundraising festival held for the benefit of the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Costume Institute in Manhattan. The Met Gala was and still is popularly rega ...
, which had the theme "In America: a Lexicon
A lexicon (plural: lexicons, rarely lexica) is the vocabulary of a language or branch of knowledge (such as nautical or medical). In linguistics, a lexicon is a language's inventory of lexemes. The word ''lexicon'' derives from Greek word () ...
of Fashion". The Met Gala is an annual fundraiser for the Metropolitan Museum of Art
The Metropolitan Museum of Art, colloquially referred to as the Met, is an Encyclopedic museum, encyclopedic art museum in New York City. By floor area, it is the List of largest museums, third-largest museum in the world and the List of larg ...
that is overseen by ''Vogue'' editor-in-chief Anna Wintour
Dame Anna Wintour ( ; born 3 November 1949) is a British-American media executive, who has been serving as editor-in-chief of '' Vogue'' since 1988. Wintour has also served as global chief content officer of Condé Nast since 2020, where she o ...
, who selects every invitee and designer pairing. Ocasio-Cortez wore an organza
Organza is a thin, plain weave, sheer fabric traditionally made from silk. Many modern organzas are woven with synthetic filament fibers such as polyester or nylon. Silk organza is woven by a number of mills along the Yangtze River and in the pr ...
gown emblazoned with the phrase "Tax the Rich". As an elected official in New York City, she was considered a guest of the museum, and as such did not have to buy a ticket, which costs persons other than elected officials at least . In response, Ocasio-Cortez said her critics were using a sexist double standard and that she "punctured the fourth wall of excess and spectacle". Designer Aurora James
Aurora James is a Canadian creative director, activist, and fashion designer. In 2013, she founded the fashion label Brother Vellies, with the goal of promoting traditional African design practices and techniques. In 2020, James founded the 15 Pe ...
also said the extremely wealthy people in attendance needed to see the message in person.
In September 2021, the American Accountability Foundation
The American Accountability Foundation (AAF) is an American conservative opposition research group founded in 2020 that opposed nominees to the Joe Biden administration.
History
The AAF's executive director and co-founder, Tom Jones, previou ...
filed an ethics complaint against Ocasio-Cortez for attending the Met Gala. The AAF claimed that her attendance amounted to accepting an illegal gift since her estimated $35,000 ticket was paid for by Condé Nast
Condé Nast () is a global mass media company founded in 1909 by Condé Nast (businessman), Condé Montrose Nast (1873–1942) and owned by Advance Publications. Its headquarters are located at One World Trade Center in the FiDi, Financial Dis ...
, a for-profit company, not a charity.
"The Squad"
Ocasio-Cortez is a member of an informal group of progressive members of Congress called " the Squad", initially including Ilhan Omar
Ilhan Abdullahi Omar (born October 4, 1982) is an American politician serving as the U.S. representative for since 2019. She is a member of the Democratic Party. Before her election to Congress, Omar served in the Minnesota House of Represen ...
, Ayanna Pressley
Ayanna Soyini Pressley (born February 3, 1974) is an American politician who has served as the United States House of Representatives, U.S. representative for Massachusetts's 7th congressional district since 2019. This district, which was once re ...
, and Rashida Tlaib
Rashida Harbi Tlaib ( ; born July 24, 1976) is an American lawyer and politician serving as a U.S. representative from Michigan since 2019, representing the state's 12th congressional district since 2023. A member of the Democratic Party, sh ...
. On July 14, 2019, Trump attacked the Squad (which had only four members at the time) in a tweet, saying that they should "go back and help fix" the countries they came from rather than criticize the American government. He continued to make similar comments over the next several days, even though three of the women, including Ocasio-Cortez, were born in the United States. Ocasio-Cortez responded in a tweet that "the President's words esterday telling four American Congresswomen of color 'go back to your own country' is hallmark language of white supremacists
White supremacy is the belief that white people are superior to those of other races. The belief favors the maintenance and defense of any power and privilege held by white people. White supremacy has roots in the now-discredited doctrine o ...
." She later added, "We don't leave the things that we love, and when we love this country, what that means is that we propose the solutions to fix it." Days later, Trump falsely asserted that Ocasio-Cortez called "our country and our people 'garbage; she had actually said that Americans should not be content with moderate policies that are "10% better from garbage". Trump also falsely claimed that Ocasio-Cortez said "illegal immigrants are more American" than Americans who tried to keep them out; she actually said that "women and children on that border that are trying to seek refuge and opportunity" in America "are acting more American" than those who tried to keep them out. The Squad grew in 2020, 2022, and 2024, with Jamaal Bowman
Jamaal Anthony Bowman (born April 1, 1976) is an American former politician and former educator who served from 2021 to 2025 as the United States representative for New York's 16th congressional district.
Bowman is the founder and former princi ...
, Cori Bush
Cori Anika Bush (born July 21, 1976) is an American politician, nurse, pastor, and Black Lives Matter activist who served as the United States House of Representatives, U.S. representative for from 2021 to 2025. The district includes all of the ...
, Greg Casar
Gregorio Eduardo Casar (born May 4, 1989) is an American politician who is the member for Texas's 35th congressional district in the United States Congress since 2023. He served as a member of the Austin City Council from the 4th district from 2 ...
, Summer Lee
Summer Lynn Lee (born November 26, 1987) is an American politician who is the U.S. representative for Pennsylvania's 12th congressional district since 2023. Lee was the Democratic nominee in the 2022 election to represent Pennsylvania's 12th ...
, and Delia Ramirez joining.
Green New Deal
Ocasio-Cortez submitted her first piece of legislation, the Green New Deal, to the House on February 7, 2019. She and Senator Ed Markey
Edward John Markey (born July 11, 1946) is an American politician serving as the Seniority in the United States Senate, junior United States Senate, United States senator from the state of Massachusetts, a seat he has held since 2013. A member of ...
released a joint non-binding resolution
A non-binding resolution is a motion adopted by a deliberative body that does not enact a law or a substantive rule, and is simply used to make known what the opinions of that body are in relation to a certain fact or event.
This type of resoluti ...
laying out the main elements of a 10-year "economic mobilization" that "would phase out fossil fuel
A fossil fuel is a flammable carbon compound- or hydrocarbon-containing material formed naturally in the Earth's crust from the buried remains of prehistoric organisms (animals, plants or microplanktons), a process that occurs within geolog ...
use and overhaul the nation's infrastructure." Their plan called for implementing the "social cost of carbon
The social cost of carbon (SCC) is an estimate, typically expressed in dollars, of the economic damages associated with emitting one additional ton of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. By translating the effects of climate change into monetary t ...
" that was part of the Obama administration
Barack Obama's tenure as the 44th president of the United States began with his first inauguration on January 20, 2009, and ended on January 20, 2017. Obama, a Democrat from Illinois, took office following his victory over Republican nomine ...
's plans to address climate change. In the process it aimed to create jobs. According to CNBC
CNBC is an American List of business news channels, business news channel owned by the NBCUniversal News Group, a unit of Comcast's NBCUniversal. The network broadcasts live business news and analysis programming during the morning, Day ...
, an initial outline the Green New Deal called for "completely ditching fossil fuels, upgrading or replacing 'every building' in the country and 'totally overhaul ngtransportation' to the point where 'air travel stops becoming necessary'". The outline set a goal of having the US "creating 'net zero
Global net-zero emissions is reached when greenhouse gas emissions and removals due to human activities are in balance. It is often called simply net zero. ''Emissions'' can refer to all greenhouse gases or only carbon dioxide (). Reaching net ze ...
' greenhouse gases in 10 years. Why 'net zero'? The lawmakers explained: 'We set a goal to get to net-zero, rather than zero emissions, in 10 years because we aren't sure that we'll be able to fully get rid of farting cows and airplanes that fast.'" Activist groups such as Greenpeace
Greenpeace is an independent global campaigning network, founded in Canada in 1971 by a group of Environmental movement, environmental activists. Greenpeace states its goal is to "ensure the ability of the Earth to nurture life in all its biod ...
and the Sunrise Movement
Sunrise Movement is an American 501(c)(4) political action organization that advocates political action on climate change alongside other progressive causes. When launched in 2017, the movement's goal was to elect proponents of renewable energ ...
came out in favor of the plan. No Republican lawmakers voiced support. The plan gained support from some Democratic senators, including Elizabeth Warren
Elizabeth Ann Warren (née Herring; born June 22, 1949) is an American politician and former law professor who is the Seniority in the United States Senate, senior United States senator from the state of Massachusetts, serving since 2013. A mem ...
, Bernie Sanders
Bernard Sanders (born September8, 1941) is an American politician and activist who is the Seniority in the United States Senate, senior United States Senate, United States senator from the state of Vermont. He is the longest-serving independ ...
and Cory Booker
Cory Anthony Booker (born April 27, 1969) is an American politician serving as the Seniority in the United States Senate, senior United States Senate, United States senator from New Jersey, a seat he has held since 2013. A member of the Democ ...
; other Democrats, such as Senator Dianne Feinstein
Dianne Emiel Feinstein (; June 22, 1933 – September 29, 2023) was an American politician who served as a United States senator from California from 1992 until her death in 2023. A member of the Democratic Party, she served as the 38th ...
and House speaker Nancy Pelosi
Nancy Patricia Pelosi ( ; ; born March 26, 1940) is an American politician who was the List of Speakers of the United States House of Representatives, 52nd speaker of the United States House of Representatives, serving from 2007 to 2011 an ...
, dismissed the proposal (Pelosi has referred to it as "the green dream, or whatever they call it").
On March 26, Senate Republicans called for an early vote on the Green New Deal without allowing discussion or expert testimony. Markey said Republicans were trying to "make a mockery" of the debate and called the vote a "sham". In protest, Senate Democrats voted "present
The present is the period of time that is occurring now. The present is contrasted with the past, the period of time that has already occurred; and the future, the period of time that has yet to occur.
It is sometimes represented as a hyperplan ...
" or against the bill, resulting in a 57–0 defeat on the Senate floor.
In March 2019, a group of UK activists
Activism consists of efforts to promote, impede, direct or intervene in social, political, economic or environmental reform with the desire to make changes in society toward a perceived common good. Forms of activism range from mandate build ...
proposed that the Labour Party adopt a similar plan, "Labour for a Green New Deal". The group said it was inspired by the Sunrise Movement
Sunrise Movement is an American 501(c)(4) political action organization that advocates political action on climate change alongside other progressive causes. When launched in 2017, the movement's goal was to elect proponents of renewable energ ...
and the work Ocasio-Cortez has done in the US.
Harassment
On July 20, 2020, US representatives Ted Yoho
Theodore Scott Yoho ( ; born April 13, 1955) is an American politician, veterinarian, and businessman, who served as the U.S. representative from from 2013 until 2021. He is a member of the Republican Party.
In the 2012 Republican primary el ...
and Roger Williams
Roger Williams (March 1683) was an English-born New England minister, theologian, author, and founder of the Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, Providence Plantations, which became the Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Pl ...
accosted Ocasio-Cortez on the Capitol
Capitol, capitols or The Capitol may refer to:
Places and buildings Legislative building
* United States Capitol, in Washington, D.C.
* National Capitol of Colombia, in Bogotá
* Palacio Federal Legislativo, in Caracas, Venezuela
* National Ca ...
steps, where Yoho (as overheard by a journalist) called her "disgusting" and told her "You are out of your freaking mind" for recently suggesting that poverty and unemployment were driving a spike in crime in New York City during the COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...
amid her ongoing advocacy for cutting police budgets. Ocasio-Cortez told Yoho he was being "rude". As she walked away from Yoho into the Capitol, Yoho called her a "fucking bitch". Yoho addressed the matter on the House floor and, without naming Ocasio-Cortez, apologized for the "abrupt manner of the conversation" with her, claiming that "offensive name calling, words attributed to me by the press, were never spoken to my colleagues", and concluding: "I cannot apologize for my passion". Ocasio-Cortez responded with a speech saying that the incident was emblematic of a "culture ... accepting of violence and violent language against women ... In using that language, in front of the press, he gave permission to use that language against his wife, his daughters, women in his community, and I am here to stand up to say that is not acceptable."
In November 2021, Representative Paul Gosar
Paul Anthony Gosar ( ; born November 27, 1958) is an American politician and dentist who has represented in the U.S. House of Representatives since 2023 and represented from 2013 to 2023. A Republican, he was elected in 2010 to represent the ...
posted a version of the title sequence
A title screen (also called an opening screen or intro) is the method by which films or television show, television programmes present their title and key filmmaking, production and cast members, utilizing conceptual visuals and sound (often an op ...
of the anime
is a Traditional animation, hand-drawn and computer animation, computer-generated animation originating from Japan. Outside Japan and in English, ''anime'' refers specifically to animation produced in Japan. However, , in Japan and in Ja ...
series ''Attack on Titan
is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Hajime Isayama. It is set in a world where humanity is forced to live in cities surrounded by three enormous walls that protect them from gigantic man-eating humanoids referred to a ...
'' on social media that he had edited with the faces of Ocasio-Cortez, Joe Biden
Joseph Robinette Biden Jr. (born November 20, 1942) is an American politician who was the 46th president of the United States from 2021 to 2025. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, he served as the 47th vice p ...
, and himself superimposed on the show's characters, depicting Gosar attacking them with swords and killing Ocasio-Cortez. Speaker Nancy Pelosi
Nancy Patricia Pelosi ( ; ; born March 26, 1940) is an American politician who was the List of Speakers of the United States House of Representatives, 52nd speaker of the United States House of Representatives, serving from 2007 to 2011 an ...
called for law enforcement and the House Ethics Committee
The U.S. House Committee on Ethics, often known simply as the Ethics Committee, is one of the committees of the United States House of Representatives. Before the 112th Congress, it was known as the Committee on Standards of Official Conduct.
...
to investigate it as a threat. Pelosi opened discussion on the House floor, saying that Gosar's actions demanded a response: "We cannot have members joking about murdering each other or threatening the president of the United States. This is both an indictment of our elected officials and an insult to the institution of the House of Representatives. It's not just about us as members of Congress. It is a danger that it represents to everyone in the country." When Republican House members refused to condemn the video, Ocasio-Cortez responded that she believed the video was "part of a pattern that normalizes violence", adding, "I believe this is a part of a concerted strategy and I think it's very important for us to draw a strict line a strong line for material consequence". She gave a six-minute floor speech, saying, "This is not about me. This is not about Representative Gosar. This is about what we're willing to accept." The House voted to censure
A censure is an expression of strong disapproval or harsh criticism. In parliamentary procedure, it is a debatable main motion that could be adopted by a majority vote. Among the forms that it can take are a stern rebuke by a legislature, a sp ...
Gosar, mostly along party lines. The last time the House censured a lawmaker was in 2010.
January 6 Capitol attack
In a nearly 90-minute Instagram Live
Instagram is an American photo and short-form video sharing social networking service owned by Meta Platforms. It allows users to upload media that can be edited with filters, be organized by hashtags, and be associated with a location via ...
video made in February 2021, Ocasio-Cortez said that she had previously experienced sexual assault
Sexual assault is an act of sexual abuse in which one intentionally Physical intimacy, sexually touches another person without that person's consent, or Coercion, coerces or physically forces a person to engage in a sexual act against their w ...
, and recounted her experience of fear during the 2021 storming of the United States Capitol
On January 6, 2021, the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C., was attacked by a mob of supporters of President Donald Trump in an attempted self-coup,Multiple sources:
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
* two months after his defea ...
, when she was in her office (in the Cannon House Office Building
The Cannon House Office Building, often called the "Old House Office Building", completed in 1908, is the oldest office building of the United States Congress in Washington, D.C. A significant example of the Beaux-Arts style of architecture, it ...
). She said she had hidden in her office bathroom before being startled by a Capitol Police
Capitol police in the United States are agencies charged with the provision of security police services for various state agencies, but especially state legislatures. Capitol police may function as part of the state police or may be an independe ...
officer who entered her office suite and shouted "Where is she?" before ordering her and her staff to evacuate to a different House Office Building. Ocasio-Cortez said the officer did not self-identify, and said she first believed the officer's voice was that of an attacker. She described sheltering in place in Representative Katie Porter
Katherine Moore Porter (born January 3, 1974) is an American politician and lawyer who served as a U.S. House of Representatives, U.S. representative from California from 2019 to 2025. She is a member of the Democratic Party (United States), Dem ...
's office and preparing for what she believed would be an assault by rioters on their offices. She said, "I had a very close encounter where I thought I was going to die."
Second Trump administration
Ocasio-Cortez gave her first major convention speech in a primetime
Prime time, or peak time, is the block of broadcast programming taking place during the middle of the evening for television shows. It is mostly targeted towards adults (and sometimes families). It is used by the major television networks to b ...
slot at the 2024 Democratic National Convention
The 2024 Democratic National Convention was a United States presidential nominating convention, presidential nominating convention in which delegates of the Democratic Party (United States), United States Democratic Party
voted on their party ...
. She expressed support for the Harris-Walz campaign and heavily criticized Trump
Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who is the 47th president of the United States. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he served as the 45 ...
, calling him a union buster
Union busting is a range of activities undertaken to disrupt or weaken the power of trade unions or their attempts to grow their membership in a workplace.
Union busting tactics can refer to both legal and illegal activities, and can range anywhe ...
who would "sell this country for a dollar if it meant lining his own pockets and greasing the palms of his Wall Street friends". Ocasio-Cortez addressed the Gaza war
The Gaza war is an armed conflict in the Gaza Strip and southern Israel fought since 7 October 2023. A part of the unresolved Israeli–Palestinian conflict, Israeli–Palestinian and Gaza–Israel conflict, Gaza–Israel conflicts dating ...
, saying Harris was "working tirelessly" for a ceasefire and hostage deal. The speech was generally well received. ''Politico
''Politico'' (stylized in all caps), known originally as ''The Politico'', is an American political digital newspaper company founded by American banker and media executive Robert Allbritton in 2007. It covers politics and policy in the Unit ...
'' wrote that Ocasio-Cortez was one of the party's "most celebrated stars" and that the establishment acknowledged it. The speech also led to speculation about whether Ocasio-Cortez would run for higher office.[
In December 2024, Ocasio-Cortez made a bid for ranking member of the ]House Oversight Committee
The Committee on Oversight and Government Reform is the main investigative United States congressional committee, committee of the United States House of Representatives. The committee's broad jurisdiction and legislative authority make it one o ...
, but lost to the more senior Gerry Connolly
Gerald Edward Connolly (March 30, 1950 – May 21, 2025) was an American politician who served as the U.S. representative for Virginia's 11th congressional district from 2009 until his death in 2025. A Democrat, he was first elected in 2008 ...
, 131–84 in the House Democratic Caucus. She emphasized her platform and communication skills while running, while Connolly's supporters highlighted his experience. When Connolly announced he was leaving his position in May because his cancer was returning, Ocasio-Cortez declined to run again, saying, "It's actually clear to me that the underlying dynamics in the caucus have not shifted with respect to seniority".
In February 2025, "border czar
In the United States, Czar (political term), the informal term "czar" (or, less often, "tsar") is employed in media and popular usage to refer to high-level Federal government of the United_States#Executive branch, executive-branch officials who o ...
" Tom Homan
Thomas Douglas Homan (born November 28, 1961) is an American law enforcement officer and political commentator who served as acting director of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) from January 30, 2017, to June 29, 2018. In Novembe ...
called Ocasio-Cortez "the dumbest congresswoman ever" and accused her of "educat ngcriminal illegal aliens" after her efforts to teach people their rights, separately suggesting that she could be "in trouble" legally. She responded by saying that "this is why you fight these cowards", arguing her efforts were protected under the Fourth Amendment.
In March, Ocasio-Cortez spoke out against the federal budget proposal, saying it would empower Trump and Elon Musk
Elon Reeve Musk ( ; born June 28, 1971) is a businessman. He is known for his leadership of Tesla, SpaceX, X (formerly Twitter), and the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). Musk has been considered the wealthiest person in th ...
, and asked Democrats to vote against it. When Schumer announced he would vote for the bill to avoid a government shutdown, she called it "a tremendous mistake" and criticized Senate Democrats for allowing it. Several House Democrats, including Ro Khanna
Rohit Khanna (born September 13, 1976) is an American politician and lawyer serving as the United States House of Representatives, U.S. representative from California's 17th congressional district since 2017. A member of the Democratic Party (Un ...
, urged Ocasio-Cortez to primary Schumer in the 2028 New York Senate elections.
Later in March, Ocasio-Cortez joined Sanders on the "Fighting Oligarchy Tour
The Fighting Oligarchy Tour, sometimes subtitled Where We Go from Here, is a series of American Political demonstration, political rallies led by Independent politician, Independent U.S. senator Bernie Sanders and Democratic Party (United States ...
", giving speeches opposing Trump's policies in multiple cities. She said that Trump's tariff policy was "disastrous" and Market manipulation
In economics and finance, market manipulation occurs when someone intentionally alters the supply or demand of a security to influence its price. This can involve spreading misleading information, executing misleading trades, or manipulating ...
, called Trump's immigration crackdown "authoritarian", criticized activist deportations, drew attention to economic inequality, and called for the "courage to brawl for the working class". Ocasio-Cortez became increasingly viewed as a possible successor to Sanders and a candidate for the 2028 presidential election. In the first quarter of 2025, she raised $9.6 million with an average donation of $21, more than she had ever received. In May, Harris called her someone who was "speaking with moral clarity about this moment", Vice President JD Vance
James David Vance (born James Donald Bowman, August2, 1984) is an American politician, author, attorney, and Marine Corps veteran who is the 50th vice president of the United States. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republic ...
told Fox News that Ocasio-Cortez running for president was "the stuff of nightmares", and Trump said that she had charisma but questioned her debating skills. In June, she endorsed Zohran Mamdani
Zohran Kwame Mamdani (born October 18, 1991) is an American politician in the state of New York. A member of the Democratic Party and the Democratic Socialists of America, he has represented New York's 36th State Assembly district in Queens s ...
in the New York City Democratic mayoral primary. ''Politico'' called her endorsements "among the most highly sought for liberal Democrats nationwide" and said that her reach had expanded since the last mayoral race.
Other issues
Ocasio-Cortez reacted to the 2021 Texas power crisis
In February 2021, the state of Texas suffered a major Energy crisis, power crisis, which came about during three severe winter storms sweeping across the United States on February 2021 North American ice storm, February 10–11, February 13� ...
by organizing a fundraiser to provide food, water, and shelter to affected Texans. The fundraiser, which began on February 18, raised $2million in its first day and $5million by February 21. The money was given to organizations such as the Houston Food Bank
The Houston Food Bank (HFB) is a non-profit organization and the nation's largest food bank by distribution; providing access to 207 million nutritious meals in 18 counties in southeast Texas. The food bank's operations are made possible through a ...
and the North Texas Food Bank
The North Texas Food Bank (NTFB) is a social benefit organization located in Plano, Texas. The organization distributes donated, purchased and prepared foods through a network of nearly 1,000 feeding programs and 400 Partner Agencies in 13 North ...
.[ Ocasio-Cortez also traveled to ]Houston
Houston ( ) is the List of cities in Texas by population, most populous city in the U.S. state of Texas and in the Southern United States. Located in Southeast Texas near Galveston Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, it is the county seat, seat of ...
to help volunteers with recovery.
On April 15, 2021, Ocasio-Cortez and three members of Congress called a press conference to announce a bill that they had introduced to implement postal banking
Postal savings systems provide depositors who do not have access to banks a safe and convenient method to save money. Many nations have operated banking systems involving post offices to promote saving money among the poor.
History
In 1861, G ...
pilot programs in rural and low-income urban neighborhoods where millions of households cannot access or afford standard banking services
Retail banking, also known as consumer banking or personal banking, is the provision of services by a bank to the general public, rather than to companies, corporations or other banks, which are often described as wholesale banking (corporate ba ...
. Ocasio-Cortez described the families she sees in her urban community who need to rely on check cashing companies that charge exorbitant interest rates due to the absence of mainstream banks. "They'll show up to a check cashing place and imagine cashing your stimulus check...and having 10 to 20% of that check taken away from you."
On November 5, 2021, Ocasio-Cortez was one of six House Democrats to break with their party and vote against the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act
The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), also known as the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL),H.R. 3684 is a United States federal statute enacted by the 117th United States Congress and signed into law by President Joe Biden on Nov ...
, as it was decoupled from the social safety net provisions in the Build Back Better Act
The Build Back Better Act was a bill introduced in the 117th Congress to fulfill aspects of President Joe Biden's Build Back Better Plan. It was spun off from the American Jobs Plan, alongside the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, ...
.
In September 2022, Ocasio-Cortez was asked about running for president. She said, "I hold two contradictory things n mindat the same time. One is just the relentless belief that anything is possible. But at the same time, my experience here has given me a front-row seat to how deeply and unconsciously, as well as consciously, so many people in this country hate women. And they hate women of color. People ask me questions about the future. And realistically, I can't even tell you if I'm going to be alive in September f 2022
F, or f, is the sixth letter of the Latin alphabet and many modern alphabets influenced by it, including the modern English alphabet and the alphabets of all other modern western European languages. Its name in English is ''ef'' (pronounce ...
And that weighs very heavily on me. And it's not just the right wing. Misogyny
Misogyny () is hatred of, contempt for, or prejudice against Woman, women or girls. It is a form of sexism that can keep women at a lower social status than Man, men, thus maintaining the social roles of patriarchy. Misogyny has been wide ...
transcends political ideology
An ideology is a set of beliefs or values attributed to a person or group of persons, especially those held for reasons that are not purely about belief in certain knowledge, in which "practical elements are as prominent as theoretical ones". Form ...
: left, right, center
Center or centre may refer to:
Mathematics
*Center (geometry), the middle of an object
* Center (algebra), used in various contexts
** Center (group theory)
** Center (ring theory)
* Graph center, the set of all vertices of minimum eccentrici ...
."
In May 2023, Ocasio-Cortez was a part of a bipartisan group, including Matt Gaetz
Matthew Louis Gaetz II ( ; born May 7, 1982) is an American politician and lawyer who served as the U.S. representative for from 2017 until his resignation in 2024. His district included all of Escambia, Okaloosa, and Santa Rosa counties, ...
, Brian Fitzpatrick, and Raja Krishnamoorthi
Subramanian Raja Krishnamoorthi ( ; born July 19, 1973) is an American attorney and politician serving as the U.S. representative for since 2017. The district includes many of Chicago's western and northwestern suburbs, such as Hoffman Estates, ...
, that introduced the "Bipartisan Restoring Faith in Government Act". The act bars members of Congress from owning or trading individual stocks.
In June 2024, following reports that Clarence Thomas
Clarence Thomas (born June 23, 1948) is an American lawyer and jurist who has served since 1991 as an associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States. President George H. W. Bush nominated him to succeed Thurgood Marshall. Afte ...
accepted undisclosed gifts from conservatives, Ocasio-Cortez said the Court was "corrupted by money and extremism
Extremism is "the quality or state of being extreme" or "the advocacy of extreme measures or views". The term is primarily used in a political or religious sense to refer to an ideology that is considered (by the speaker or by some implied sha ...
" and undemocratic. She and Representative Jamie Raskin
Jamin Ben Raskin (born December 13, 1962) is an American attorney, law professor, and politician serving as the United States House of Representatives, U.S. representative for Maryland's 8th congressional district since 2017. A member of the Demo ...
led a congressional meeting about the Court, and explored options for holding justices accountable. On June 25, they introduced the "High Court Gift Ban Act", which would impose restrictions on the gifts given to justices.
In July 2024, Ocasio-Cortez supported and co-led the "DEFIANCE Act", which would allow people to sue creators and distributors of non-consensual
Consent occurs when one person voluntarily agrees to the proposal or desires of another. It is a term of common speech, with specific definitions used in such fields as the law, medicine, research, and sexual consent. Consent as understood in ...
deepfake pornography
Deepfake pornography, or simply fake pornography, is a type of synthetic pornography that is created via altering already-existing photographs or video by applying deepfake technology to the images of the participants. The use of deepfake pornogr ...
of themselves, something that had previously been done to her.
On July 1, after the Supreme Court
In most legal jurisdictions, a supreme court, also known as a court of last resort, apex court, high (or final) court of appeal, and court of final appeal, is the highest court within the hierarchy of courts. Broadly speaking, the decisions of ...
ruled in ''Trump v. United States
''Trump v. United States'', 603U.S.593 (2024), is a List of landmark court decisions in the United States, landmark decision of the Supreme Court of the United States in which the Court determined that presidential immunity in the United Stat ...
'' that presidents have immunity
Immunity may refer to:
Medicine
* Immunity (medical), resistance of an organism to infection or disease
* ''Immunity'' (journal), a scientific journal published by Cell Press
Biology
* Immune system
Engineering
* Radiofrequence immunity ...
from criminal prosecution
A prosecutor is a legal representative of the prosecution in states with either the adversarial system, which is adopted in common law, or inquisitorial system, which is adopted in Civil law (legal system), civil law. The prosecution is the ...
for official actions, Ocasio-Cortez announced she would file articles of impeachment
An article of impeachment is a documented statement which specifies the charges to be tried in an impeachment trial as a basis for removing an officeholder. Articles of impeachment are an aspect of impeachment processes of many governments that ut ...
against justices. She said the court was corrupt and that Congress must defend the nation against an "authoritarian capture". On July 10, Ocasio-Cortez officially introduced articles of impeachment against justices
''Justice'' (abbreviation: ame ''J.'' and other variations) is an honorific style and title traditionally used to describe a jurist who is currently serving or has served on a supreme court or some equal position. In some countries, a justice ma ...
Clarence Thomas
Clarence Thomas (born June 23, 1948) is an American lawyer and jurist who has served since 1991 as an associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States. President George H. W. Bush nominated him to succeed Thurgood Marshall. Afte ...
and Samuel Alito
Samuel Anthony Alito Jr. ( ; born April 1, 1950) is an American jurist who serves as an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States, associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States. He was Samuel Alito Supreme Court ...
, co-sponsored by seven House Democrats
The House Democratic Caucus is a congressional caucus composed of all Democratic representatives in the United States House of Representatives, voting and non-voting, and is responsible for nominating and electing the Democratic Party leadersh ...
. The resolution accused the justices of failing to recuse
Recusal is the legal process by which a judge, juror, or other adjudicator steps aside from participating in a case due to potential bias, conflict of interest, or appearance of impropriety. This practice is fundamental to ensuring fairness and ...
themselves from cases despite personal bias
Bias is a disproportionate weight ''in favor of'' or ''against'' an idea or thing, usually in a way that is inaccurate, closed-minded, prejudicial, or unfair. Biases can be innate or learned. People may develop biases for or against an individ ...
and not disclosing lavish gifts they received. The resolution cited the involvement of Ginni Thomas
Virginia "Ginni" Thomas ( Lamp; born February 23, 1957) is an American lawyer and conservative activist. In 1987, she married Clarence Thomas, who became an associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States in 1991. Her conservative co ...
in attempts to overturn the 2020 election and the presence of "Stop the Steal
After Democratic nominee Joe Biden won the 2020 United States presidential election, Republican nominee and then-incumbent president Donald Trump pursued an unprecedented effort to overturn the election, with support from his campaign, ...
" symbols on Alito's properties as personal bias. In a statement, she said that corruption in the court had become a constitutional crisis
In political science, a constitutional crisis is a problem or conflict in the function of a government that the constitution, political constitution or other fundamental governing law is perceived to be unable to resolve. There are several variat ...
that threatened democracy. Legal experts said the case would likely fail, but was still important because it drew attention to the justices' conduct.
Committee assignments
* Committee on Energy and Commerce
A committee or commission is a body of one or more persons subordinate to a deliberative assembly or other form of organization. A committee may not itself be considered to be a form of assembly or a decision-making body. Usually, an assembly o ...
Past committee assignments
* Committee on Oversight and Accountability (Vice Ranking Member, 2023–25) (2019–2025)
** Subcommittee on Health Care and Financial Services
** Subcommittee on National Security, the Border, and Foreign Affairs
* Committee on Natural Resources (2023–2025)
** Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources (Ranking Member, 2023–25)
Caucus memberships
*Congressional Progressive Caucus
The Congressional Progressive Caucus (CPC) is a congressional caucus affiliated with the Democratic Party in the United States Congress. The CPC represents the progressive faction of the Democratic Party. " e Congressional Progressive Caucus, ...
* House Pro-Choice Caucus
* Congressional Caucus for the Equal Rights Amendment
Political positions
Ocasio-Cortez has been described as progressive,[Sources describing Ocasio-Cortez as "progressive" include:
*
*
*
* ] left-wing,[Sources describing Ocasio-Cortez as "left-wing" include:
*
*
*
* ] left-wing populist
Left-wing populism, also called social populism, is a Ideology#Political ideologies, political ideology that combines left-wing politics with populist rhetoric and themes. Its rhetoric often includes elements of anti-elitism, opposition to the E ...
,[Sources describing Ocasio-Cortez as "left-wing populist" include:
*
*
* ] and far-left.[Sources describing Ocasio-Cortez as "far-left" include:
*
*
*
*
*
* ]
Ocasio-Cortez is a member of the Democratic Socialists of America
The Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) is a political organization in the United States and the country's largest Socialism, socialist organization. Sitting on the Left-wing politics, left-wing to Far-left politics, far-left of the politic ...
and embraces the democratic socialist
Democratic socialism is a left-wing economic and political philosophy that supports political democracy and some form of a socially owned economy, with a particular emphasis on economic democracy, workplace democracy, and workers' self-mana ...
label as part of her political identity. In an interview on NBC
The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast. It is one of NBCUniversal's ...
's ''Meet the Press
''Meet the Press'' is a weekly American television Sunday morning talk show broadcast on NBC. It is the List of longest-running television shows by category, longest-running program on American television, though its format has changed since th ...
'', she described democratic socialism as "part of what I am. It's not all of what I am. And I think that that's a very important distinction." In response to a question about democratic socialism ultimately calling for an end to capitalism
Capitalism is an economic system based on the private ownership of the means of production and their use for the purpose of obtaining profit. This socioeconomic system has developed historically through several stages and is defined by ...
during a '' Firing Line'' interview on PBS
The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is an American public broadcaster and non-commercial, free-to-air television network based in Arlington, Virginia. PBS is a publicly funded nonprofit organization and the most prominent provider of educat ...
, she answered: "Ultimately, we are marching towards progress on this issue. I do think that we are going to see an evolution in our economic system of an unprecedented degree, and it's hard to say what direction that that takes." Later at a conference she said "To me, capitalism is irredeemable."
Ocasio-Cortez supports progressive ideals such as workplace democracy
Workplace democracy is the application of democracy in various forms to the workplace, such as voting systems, consensus, debates, democratic structuring, due process, adversarial process, and systems of appeal. It can be implemented in a ...
, single-payer Medicare for All, tuition-free public college and trade school, a federal job guarantee
A job guarantee is an economic policy proposal that aims to create full employment and price stability by having the state promise to hire unemployed workers as an employer of last resort (ELR). It aims to provide a sustainable solution to inf ...
, the cancellation of all $1.6trillion of outstanding student debt
Student debt refers to the debt incurred by an individual to pay for education-related expenses. This debt is most commonly assumed to pay for tertiary education, such as university.
The amount loaned or the loan agreement is often referred to as ...
, guaranteed family leave
Parental leave, or family leave, is an employee benefit available in almost all countries. The term "parental leave" may include maternity, paternity, and adoption leave; or may be used distinctively from "maternity leave" and "paternity leave ...
, abolishing US Immigration and Customs Enforcement
The United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE; ) is a federal law enforcement agency under the United States Department of Homeland Security. ICE's stated mission is to protect the United States from transnational crime and ille ...
, ending the privatization of prisons, enacting gun-control policies, and energy policy relying on 100% renewables
Renewable energy (also called green energy) is energy made from renewable natural resources that are replenished on a human timescale. The most widely used renewable energy types are solar energy, wind power, and hydropower. Bioenergy and ...
. She told Anderson Cooper
Anderson Hays Cooper (born June 3, 1967) is an American broadcast journalist and political commentator who anchors the CNN news broadcast show ''Anderson Cooper 360°''. In addition to his duties at CNN, Cooper serves as a correspondent for ''6 ...
that she favors policies that "most closely resemble what we see in the UK, in Norway
Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the archipelago of Svalbard also form part of the Kingdom of ...
, in Finland
Finland, officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It borders Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of Bothnia to the west and the Gulf of Finland to the south, ...
, in Sweden", not those in the "Soviet Union
The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...
, Cuba
Cuba, officially the Republic of Cuba, is an island country, comprising the island of Cuba (largest island), Isla de la Juventud, and List of islands of Cuba, 4,195 islands, islets and cays surrounding the main island. It is located where the ...
, Venezuela
Venezuela, officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many Federal Dependencies of Venezuela, islands and islets in the Caribbean Sea. It com ...
".
Economic policy
Ocasio-Cortez has rejected state socialism
State socialism is a political and economic ideology within the socialist movement that advocates state ownership of the means of production. This is intended either as a temporary measure, or as a characteristic of socialism in the transition ...
, calling it "undemocratic" and "easily corrupted", but has expressed support for worker control of the means of production
In political philosophy, the means of production refers to the generally necessary assets and resources that enable a society to engage in production. While the exact resources encompassed in the term may vary, it is widely agreed to include the ...
. She has also said that market economies
A market economy is an economic system in which the decisions regarding investment, production, and distribution to the consumers are guided by the price signals created by the forces of supply and demand. The major characteristic of a mark ...
are not incompatible with democratic socialism as long as workers control companies, citing worker cooperative
A worker cooperative is a cooperative owned and Workers' self-management, self-managed by its workers. This control may mean a Company, firm where every worker-owner participates in decision-making in a democratic fashion, or it may refer to one ...
s as a model.
Ocasio-Cortez supports raising the marginal tax rate
In a tax system, the tax rate is the ratio (usually expressed as a percentage) at which a business or person is taxed. The tax rate that is applied to an individual's or corporation's income is determined by tax laws of the country and can be in ...
on top income earners to fund the implementation of her policy goals. She was among the 46 House Democrats who voted against final passage of the Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2023
On January 19, 2023, the United States hit its United States debt ceiling, debt ceiling, leading to a debt-ceiling crisis, part of an ongoing political debate within United States Congress, Congress about United States federal budget, federal ...
. Ocasio-Cortez has called for reducing defense spending. In December 2022, she was the only House Democrat to vote against an omnibus spending package because it increased funding for defense and federal agencies that oversee immigration.
In late 2020, Ocasio-Cortez and Rashida Tlaib
Rashida Harbi Tlaib ( ; born July 24, 1976) is an American lawyer and politician serving as a U.S. representative from Michigan since 2019, representing the state's 12th congressional district since 2023. A member of the Democratic Party, sh ...
proposed a public banking bill to encourage creation of state
State most commonly refers to:
* State (polity), a centralized political organization that regulates law and society within a territory
**Sovereign state, a sovereign polity in international law, commonly referred to as a country
**Nation state, a ...
and local public banks by giving them access to facilities from the Federal Reserve
The Federal Reserve System (often shortened to the Federal Reserve, or simply the Fed) is the central banking system of the United States. It was created on December 23, 1913, with the enactment of the Federal Reserve Act, after a series of ...
and setting national guidelines on public bank
A public bank is a bank, a financial institution, in which a State (polity), state, municipality, or public actors are the owners. It is an enterprise under government control. ing. In April 2021, Ocasio-Cortez announced a bill that she and three senators had introduced to implement postal banking
Postal savings systems provide depositors who do not have access to banks a safe and convenient method to save money. Many nations have operated banking systems involving post offices to promote saving money among the poor.
History
In 1861, G ...
pilot programs in rural and low-income urban neighborhoods where millions of households cannot access or afford standard banking services.
Ocasio-Cortez has been a vocal supporter of labor rights
Labor rights or workers' rights are both legal rights and human rights relating to labor relations between workers and employers. These rights are codified in national and international labor and employment law. In general, the ...
, including a $15 per hour federal minimum wage
A minimum wage is the lowest remuneration that employers can legally pay their employees—the price floor below which employees may not sell their labor. Most countries had introduced minimum wage legislation by the end of the 20th century. Bec ...
. In May 2019, she returned to bartending at the Queensboro Restaurant in Jackson Heights, Queens
Jackson Heights is a neighborhood in the northwestern part of the borough of Queens in New York City. Jackson Heights is neighbored by North Corona to the east, Elmhurst to the south, Woodside to the west, and today northern Astoria ( Ditm ...
, to promote the Raise the Wage Act, which would increase the minimum hourly wage for restaurant servers and other tipped workers from $2.13 to $15. Speaking to restaurant workers, customers and reporters, she criticized an exemption in US minimum wage law for restaurants and the service sector that allows them to be paid less than $7.25 per hour, saying, "Any job that pays $2.13 per hour is not a job, it is indentured servitude." On January 20, 2021, Ocasio-Cortez skipped the inauguration of Joe Biden
The inauguration of Joe Biden as the 46th president of the United States took place on Wednesday, January 20, 2021, on the West Front of the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C. It was the 59th inauguration and marked the commencement o ...
to join the 2021 Hunts Point Produce Market strike in the Bronx.
In September 2019, Ocasio-Cortez introduced an anti-poverty
Poverty reduction, poverty relief, or poverty alleviation is a set of measures, both economic and humanitarian, that are intended to permanently lift people out of poverty. Measures, like those promoted by Henry George in his economics classic ...
policy proposal (packaged in a bundle called "A Just Society") that would take into account the cost of childcare
Child care, also known as day care, is the care and supervision of one or more children, typically ranging from three months to 18 years old. Although most parents spend a significant amount of time caring for their child(ren), childcare typica ...
, health care
Health care, or healthcare, is the improvement or maintenance of health via the preventive healthcare, prevention, diagnosis, therapy, treatment, wikt:amelioration, amelioration or cure of disease, illness, injury, and other disability, physic ...
, and "new necessities" like Internet access
Internet access is a facility or service that provides connectivity for a computer, a computer network, or other network device to the Internet, and for individuals or organizations to access or use applications such as email and the World Wide ...
when measuring poverty. The proposal would cap annual rent increases and ensure access to social welfare programs for people with convictions and undocumented immigrants
Illegal immigration is the migration of people into a country in violation of that country's immigration laws, or the continuous residence in a country without the legal right to do so. Illegal immigration tends to be financially upward, wi ...
. According to the US census
The United States census (plural censuses or census) is a census that is legally mandated by the Constitution of the United States. It takes place every ten years. The first census after the American Revolution was taken in 1790 under Secretar ...
, about 40million Americans live in poverty.
Ocasio-Cortez has proposed a marginal tax
In a tax system, the tax rate is the ratio (usually expressed as a percentage) at which a business or person is taxed. The tax rate that is applied to an individual's or corporation's income is determined by tax laws of the country and can be in ...
as high as 70% on income above $10million to pay for the Green New Deal
The Green New Deal (GND) calls for public policy to address climate change, along with achieving other social aims like job creation, economic growth, and reducing economic inequality.
The name refers to the New Deal, a set of changes and ...
. According to tax experts contacted by ''The Washington Post
''The Washington Post'', locally known as ''The'' ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'' or ''WP'', is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C., the national capital. It is the most widely circulated newspaper in the Washington m ...
'', this tax would bring in extra revenue of $720billion per decade. But an analysis by the think tank Tax Foundation
The Tax Foundation is an international research think tank based in Washington, D.C. that collects data and publishes research studies on Taxation in the United States, U.S. tax policies at both the federal and state levels. Its stated mission ...
estimated that, after accounting for macroeconomic
Macroeconomics is a branch of economics that deals with the performance, structure, behavior, and decision-making of an economy as a whole. This includes regional, national, and global economies. Macroeconomists study topics such as output/ GDP ...
effects, the proposal would increase tax revenue by $189.1 billion over ten years if it is applied only to ordinary income
Under the United States Internal Revenue Code, the ''type'' of income is defined by its character. Ordinary income is usually characterized as income other than long-term capital gains. Ordinary income can consist of income from wages, salari ...
, or decrease tax revenue by 53.1 billion if it is applied to all forms of income, including capital gain
Capital gain is an economic concept defined as the profit earned on the sale of an asset which has increased in value over the holding period. An asset may include tangible property, a car, a business, or intangible property such as shares.
...
s. Ocasio-Cortez has opposed and voted against the pay-as-you-go
Pay as you go or PAYG may refer to:
Finance
* Pay-as-you-go tax, or pay-as-you-earn tax
* Pay-as-you-go pension plan
* PAYGO, the practice in the US of financing expenditures with current funds rather than borrowing
* PAUG, a structured financial ...
rule supported by Democratic leaders, which requires deficit-neutral
Neutral or neutrality may refer to:
Mathematics and natural science Biology
* Neutral organisms, in ecology, those that obey the unified neutral theory of biodiversity
Chemistry and physics
* Neutralization (chemistry), a chemical reaction in ...
fiscal policy
In economics and political science, fiscal policy is the use of government revenue collection ( taxes or tax cuts) and expenditure to influence a country's economy. The use of government revenue expenditures to influence macroeconomic variab ...
, with all new expenditures balanced by tax increases or spending cuts. She and Representative Ro Khanna
Rohit Khanna (born September 13, 1976) is an American politician and lawyer serving as the United States House of Representatives, U.S. representative from California's 17th congressional district since 2017. A member of the Democratic Party (Un ...
have condemned the rule for hamstringing new or expanded progressive policies. Drawing a parallel with the Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe global economic downturn from 1929 to 1939. The period was characterized by high rates of unemployment and poverty, drastic reductions in industrial production and international trade, and widespread bank and ...
, she has argued that the Green New Deal needs deficit spending like the original New Deal
The New Deal was a series of wide-reaching economic, social, and political reforms enacted by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in the United States between 1933 and 1938, in response to the Great Depression in the United States, Great Depressi ...
.
Ocasio-Cortez opposed a planned deal by New York City to give Amazon.com
Amazon.com, Inc., doing business as Amazon, is an American multinational technology company engaged in e-commerce, cloud computing, online advertising, digital streaming, and artificial intelligence. Founded in 1994 by Jeff Bezos in Bellevu ...
$3 billion in state and city subsidies
A subsidy, subvention or government incentive is a type of government expenditure for individuals and households, as well as businesses with the aim of stabilizing the economy. It ensures that individuals and households are viable by having acce ...
and tax break
Tax break also known as tax preferences, tax concession, and tax relief, are a method of reduction to the tax liability of taxpayers. Government usually applies them to stimulate the economy and increase the solvency of the population. By this f ...
s to build a secondary headquarters (Amazon HQ2
Amazon HQ2 is Amazon (company), Amazon's corporate headquarters in National Landing in Crystal City, Virginia (part of Arlington, Virginia, Arlington County) in the Washington, D.C. area, and an expansion of the company's headquarters in Seattl ...
) that was expected to bring in $27 billion in tax revenue for the city and state, in an area near her congressional district, saying that the city should instead itself invest $3 billion in the district. Conservative columnist Marc Thiessen
Marc Alexander Thiessen (born January 13, 1967) is an American conservative author, political appointee, and weekly columnist for ''The Washington Post''. Thiessen served as a speechwriter for President George W. Bush from 2007 to 2009 and Secreta ...
argued that "New York does not have $3 billion in cash" it would "give" to Amazon, and that between 25,000 and 40,000 new jobs, in addition to the high-paying tech jobs Amazon would have created, disappeared when Amazon left and "her economic illiteracy is dangerous" because "by helping to drive Amazon away, she did not save New York $3 billion; she cost New York $27 billion." She "boasted" that she was right after Amazon ceased its construction of the HQ2 project in Virginia
Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States between the East Coast of the United States ...
, which it chose over New York. The progressive think tank
A think tank, or public policy institute, is a research institute that performs research and advocacy concerning topics such as social policy, political strategy, economics, military, technology, and culture. Most think tanks are non-governme ...
Data for Progress
Data for Progress (DFP) is an American left-wing think tank, polling firm, and political advocacy group. Until his dismissal in November 2022, the organization was headed by data scientist and activist Sean McElwee, who co-founded the organizati ...
wrote that New York taxpayers "would be subsidizing Amazon's activities in the city by surrendering $3 billion in would-be tax revenue", that there were "enormous hidden costs associated with Amazon's residence" and that "the argument that the city would not literally pay cash to Amazon is superficial and semantic". Data for Progress also noted that Amazon instead announced it would bring 1,500 jobs to New York without a tax break. Former New York mayor Mike Bloomberg
Michael Rubens Bloomberg (born February 14, 1942) is an American businessman and politician. He is the majority owner and co-founder of Bloomberg L.P., and was its CEO from 1981 to 2001 and again from 2014 to 2023. He served as the 108th mayo ...
also opposed the tax breaks.
In 2024, Ocasio-Cortez took part in a live-streamed
Livestreaming, live-streaming, or live streaming is the streaming media, streaming of video or Digital audio, audio in real-time communication, real time or near real time. While often referred to simply as ''streaming'', the real-time nature ...
roundtable
The Round Table (; ; ; ) is King Arthur's famed table (furniture), table in the Arthurian legend, around which he and his knights congregate. As its name suggests, it has no head, implying that everyone who sits there has equal status, unlike co ...
with Federal Trade Commission
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is an independent agency of the United States government whose principal mission is the enforcement of civil (non-criminal) United States antitrust law, antitrust law and the promotion of consumer protection. It ...
chair Lina Khan
Lina Maliha Khan (born March 3, 1989) is an American legal scholar who served from 2021 to 2025 as chair of the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). She is also a professor at Columbia Law School. While a student at Yale Law School, she became known ...
, discussing "efforts to check unlawful corporate power". Later, in response to investor and Harris
Harris may refer to:
Places Canada
* Harris, Ontario
* Northland Pyrite Mine (also known as Harris Mine)
* Harris, Saskatchewan
* Rural Municipality of Harris No. 316, Saskatchewan
Scotland
* Harris, Outer Hebrides (sometimes called the Isle ...
supporter Mark Cuban
Mark Cuban (born July 31, 1958) is an American businessman and television personality. He is the former principal owner and current minority owner of the Dallas Mavericks of the National Basketball Association (NBA) and co-owner of 2929 Entertain ...
saying that he wouldn't keep Khan, Ocasio-Cortez said "anyone goes near Lina Khan and there will be an out and out brawl".
Environment
Ocasio-Cortez has called for "more environmental hardline
In politics, hardline or hard-line is an adjective describing a stance on an issue that is inflexible and not subject to compromise. A hardliner is a person holding such views. The stance is usually far from the centrist view. People, policies, ...
rs in Congress", calling climate change
Present-day climate change includes both global warming—the ongoing increase in Global surface temperature, global average temperature—and its wider effects on Earth's climate system. Climate variability and change, Climate change in ...
"the single biggest national security
National security, or national defence (national defense in American English), is the security and Defence (military), defence of a sovereign state, including its Citizenship, citizens, economy, and institutions, which is regarded as a duty of ...
threat for the United States and the single biggest threat to worldwide industrialized civilization". Referring to a recent United Nations report
A report is a document or a statement that presents information in an organized format for a specific audience and purpose. Although summaries of reports may be delivered orally, complete reports are usually given in the form of written documen ...
indicating that the effects of climate change could become irreversible unless carbon emissions are reined in within the next 12 years, she has argued that global warming
Present-day climate change includes both global warming—the ongoing increase in global average temperature—and its wider effects on Earth's climate system. Climate change in a broader sense also includes previous long-term changes ...
must be addressed immediately to avert human extinction
Human extinction or omnicide is the hypothetical end of the human species, either by population decline due to extraneous natural causes, such as an asteroid impact or large-scale volcanism, or via anthropogenic destruction (self-extinction ...
.
Ocasio-Cortez's environmental plan, the Green New Deal
The Green New Deal (GND) calls for public policy to address climate change, along with achieving other social aims like job creation, economic growth, and reducing economic inequality.
The name refers to the New Deal, a set of changes and ...
, advocates for the US to transition to an electrical grid
An electrical grid (or electricity network) is an interconnected network for electricity delivery from producers to consumers. Electrical grids consist of power stations, electrical substations to step voltage up or down, electric power tran ...
running on 100% renewable energy
100% renewable energy is the goal of the use renewable resources for all energy. 100% renewable energy for electricity, heating, cooling and transport is motivated by climate change, pollution and other environmental issues, as well as ec ...
and to end the use of fossil fuel
A fossil fuel is a flammable carbon compound- or hydrocarbon-containing material formed naturally in the Earth's crust from the buried remains of prehistoric organisms (animals, plants or microplanktons), a process that occurs within geolog ...
s within ten years. The changes, estimated to cost roughly $2.5trillion per year, would be financed in part by higher taxes on the wealthy
Wealth is the abundance of valuable financial assets or physical possessions which can be converted into a form that can be used for transactions. This includes the core meaning as held in the originating Old English word , which is from an ...
. She has said she has an " open mind" about nuclear power
Nuclear power is the use of nuclear reactions to produce electricity. Nuclear power can be obtained from nuclear fission, nuclear decay and nuclear fusion reactions. Presently, the vast majority of electricity from nuclear power is produced by ...
's role in the Green New Deal, but has been criticized for ignoring it in her proposals for the deal.
In 2024, Ocasio-Cortez, supported by Bowman and Sanders
Sanders may refer to:
People
Surname
* Sanders (surname)
Given name
*Sanders Anne Laubenthal (1943–2002), US writer
*Sanders Shiver (born 1955), former US National Football League player
Corporations
* Sanders Associates, part of BAE Syste ...
, introduced the "Green New Deal for Public housing
Public housing, also known as social housing, refers to Subsidized housing, subsidized or affordable housing provided in buildings that are usually owned and managed by local government, central government, nonprofit organizations or a ...
", a plan to fund the New York City Housing Authority
The New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) is a public development corporation which provides public housing in New York City, and is the largest public housing authority in North America. Created in 1934 as the first agency of its kind in the ...
(NYCHA) and help it transition to clean energy.
Foreign policy
China
Ocasio-Cortez criticized the American companies Activision Blizzard
Activision Blizzard, Inc. is an American video game holding company based in Santa Monica, California. Activision Blizzard currently includes three operating units: Activision, Blizzard Entertainment and King (company), King.
Founded in July 2 ...
and Apple
An apple is a round, edible fruit produced by an apple tree (''Malus'' spp.). Fruit trees of the orchard or domestic apple (''Malus domestica''), the most widely grown in the genus, are agriculture, cultivated worldwide. The tree originated ...
for censoring pro-democracy protesters in Hong Kong. She co-signed a letter to Activision Blizzard
Activision Blizzard, Inc. is an American video game holding company based in Santa Monica, California. Activision Blizzard currently includes three operating units: Activision, Blizzard Entertainment and King (company), King.
Founded in July 2 ...
CEO Bobby Kotick
Robert A. Kotick (born 1963) is an American businessman who served as the chief executive officer (CEO) of Activision Blizzard and its predecessor, Activision, from 1991 to 2023. He became the CEO of Activision through a hostile takeover during ...
that read, "As China amplifies its campaign of intimidation, you and your company must decide whether to look beyond the bottom line and promote American values—like freedom of speech
Speech is the use of the human voice as a medium for language. Spoken language combines vowel and consonant sounds to form units of meaning like words, which belong to a language's lexicon. There are many different intentional speech acts, suc ...
and thought
In their most common sense, the terms thought and thinking refer to cognitive processes that can happen independently of sensory stimulation. Their most paradigmatic forms are judging, reasoning, concept formation, problem solving, and de ...
—or to give in to Beijing
Beijing, Chinese postal romanization, previously romanized as Peking, is the capital city of China. With more than 22 million residents, it is the world's List of national capitals by population, most populous national capital city as well as ...
's demands in order to preserve market access
In international trade, market access refers to a company's ability to enter a foreign market by selling its goods and services in another country. Market access is not the same as free trade, because market access is normally subject to condition ...
."
A bipartisan
Bipartisanship, sometimes referred to as nonpartisanship, is a political situation, usually in the context of a two-party system (especially those of the United States and some other western countries), in which opposing Political party, politica ...
letter by Ocasio-Cortez and seven other lawmakers fiercely criticized the NBA
The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada). The NBA is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Ca ...
's handling of a controversy involving a tweet by Houston Rockets
The Houston Rockets are an American professional basketball team based in Houston. The Rockets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southwest Division (NBA), Southwest Division of the Western Conference (NBA) ...
general manager Daryl Morey
Daryl Morey (born September 14, 1972) is an American basketball executive who is the president of basketball operations of the Philadelphia 76ers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). His basketball philosophy, heavily reliant on analyt ...
supporting pro-democracy protesters in Hong Kong. The lawmakers wrote that the NBA's response not only "sold out an American citizen" but also "reinforces the Chinese Communist Party
The Communist Party of China (CPC), also translated into English as Chinese Communist Party (CCP), is the founding and One-party state, sole ruling party of the People's Republic of China (PRC). Founded in 1921, the CCP emerged victorious in the ...
view that those who point to Chinese repression in Hong Kong are as best stating opinions, not facts", as well as being "a betrayal of fundamental American values".
Middle East
Ocasio-Cortez voted to withdraw US military
The United States Armed Forces are the military forces of the United States. U.S. federal law names six armed forces: the Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, Space Force, and the Coast Guard. Since 1949, all of the armed forces, except th ...
aid for Saudi Arabia's intervention in Yemen, and was among 56 Democrats to vote in favor of H.Con.Res. 21, which directed President Joe Biden
Joseph Robinette Biden Jr. (born November 20, 1942) is an American politician who was the 46th president of the United States from 2021 to 2025. A member of the Democratic Party, he served as the 47th vice president from 2009 to 2017 and re ...
to remove US troops from Syria
Syria, officially the Syrian Arab Republic, is a country in West Asia located in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Levant. It borders the Mediterranean Sea to the west, Turkey to Syria–Turkey border, the north, Iraq to Iraq–Syria border, t ...
within 180 days.
Ocasio-Cortez criticized President Trump
Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who is the 47th president of the United States. A member of the Republican Party, he served as the 45th president from 2017 to 2021.
...
's administration for escalating tensions with Iran, saying that it would bring the country into a "military conflict that is completely irresponsible".
Ocasio-Cortez supported the Mahsa Amini protests
Civil unrest and protests against the Government of Iran, government of the Islamic Republic of Iran associated with the Death in custody, death in police custody of Death of Mahsa Amini#Victim, Mahsa Amini () began on 16 September 2022 and ca ...
, saying, "Mahsa Amini was senselessly murdered by the same patriarchal and autocratic forces repressing women the world over" and "right to choose belongs to us all, from hijab
Hijab (, ) refers to head coverings worn by Women in Islam, Muslim women. Similar to the mitpaḥat/tichel or Snood (headgear), snood worn by religious married Jewish women, certain Christian head covering, headcoverings worn by some Christian w ...
s to reproductive
The reproductive system of an organism, also known as the genital system, is the biological system made up of all the anatomical organs involved in sexual reproduction. Many non-living substances such as fluids, hormones, and pheromones are al ...
care". This was criticized by the conservative ''Washington Examiner
The ''Washington Examiner'' is an American Conservatism in the United States, conservative news magazine based in Washington, D.C., consisting of a website and a weekly printed magazine. It is owned by Philip Anschutz through MediaDC, a subsidiar ...
'', which said that Iran
Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) and also known as Persia, is a country in West Asia. It borders Iraq to the west, Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Armenia to the northwest, the Caspian Sea to the north, Turkmenistan to the nort ...
ian repression was not comparable to abortion restrictions
Abortion is the termination of human pregnancy, often performed in the first 28 weeks of pregnancy. In 1973, the United States Supreme Court in ''Roe v. Wade'' recognized a constitutional right to obtain an abortion without excessive government ...
.
Israel-Palestine
In May 2018, Ocasio-Cortez criticized the Israel Defense Forces
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF; , ), alternatively referred to by the Hebrew-language acronym (), is the national military of the State of Israel. It consists of three service branches: the Israeli Ground Forces, the Israeli Air Force, and ...
' (IDF) use of deadly force against Palestinians
Palestinians () are an Arab ethnonational group native to the Levantine region of Palestine.
*: "Palestine was part of the first wave of conquest following Muhammad's death in 632 CE; Jerusalem fell to the Caliph Umar in 638. The indigenou ...
participating in the 2018 Gaza border protests
Eighteen or 18 may refer to:
* 18 (number)
* One of the years 18 BC, AD 18, 1918, 2018
Film, television and entertainment
* ''18'' (film), a 1993 Taiwanese experimental film based on the short story ''God's Dice''
* ''Eighteen'' (film), a 2 ...
, calling it a "massacre
A massacre is an event of killing people who are not engaged in hostilities or are defenseless. It is generally used to describe a targeted killing of civilians Glossary of French words and expressions in English#En masse, en masse by an armed ...
" in a tweet. In a July 2018 interview, she said she was "a proponent of a two-state solution
The two-state solution is a proposed approach to resolving the Israeli–Palestinian conflict, by creating two states on the territory of the former Mandatory Palestine. It is often contrasted with the one-state solution, which is the esta ...
"[ and called Israel's presence in the ]West Bank
The West Bank is located on the western bank of the Jordan River and is the larger of the two Palestinian territories (the other being the Gaza Strip) that make up the State of Palestine. A landlocked territory near the coast of the Mediter ...
an "occupation of Palestine
The occupied Palestinian territories, also referred to as the Palestinian territories, consist of the West Bank (including East Jerusalem) and the Gaza Strip—two regions of the former British Mandate for Palestine that have been occupie ...
". After being asked to elaborate, she responded she was not "the expert on geopolitics
Geopolitics () is the study of the effects of Earth's geography on politics and international relations. Geopolitics usually refers to countries and relations between them, it may also focus on two other kinds of State (polity), states: ''de fac ...
on this issue".[ Her use of the term " occupation" drew backlash from a number of ]pro-Israel
Zionism is an ethnocultural nationalist movement that emerged in Europe in the late 19th century that aimed to establish and maintain a national home for the Jewish people, pursued through the colonization of Palestine, a region roughly cor ...
groups and commentators. Others defended her remarks, citing the United Nations' designation of the territory in the West Bank as occupied. In July 2019, Ocasio-Cortez voted against a House resolution introduced by Representative Brad Schneider
Bradley Scott Schneider (born August 20, 1961) is an American businessman and politician who has served as the United States House of Representatives, U.S. representative for Illinois's 10th congressional district since 2017 and also served fro ...
condemning the Global Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions
Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) is a nonviolent Palestinian-led movement promoting boycotts, divestments, and economic sanctions against Israel. Its objective is to pressure Israel to meet what the BDS movement describes as Israel's o ...
Movement targeting Israel. The resolution passed 398–17.
Ocasio-Cortez warned that Israel's planned annexation
Annexation, in international law, is the forcible acquisition and assertion of legal title over one state's territory by another state, usually following military occupation of the territory. In current international law, it is generally held t ...
of Palestinian territories
The occupied Palestinian territories, also referred to as the Palestinian territories, consist of the West Bank (including East Jerusalem) and the Gaza Strip—two regions of the former Mandate for Palestine, British Mandate for Palestine ...
in the occupied West Bank "would lay the groundwork for Israel becoming an apartheid state". She wrote to US secretary of state Mike Pompeo
Michael Richard Pompeo (; born December 30, 1963) is an American retired politician who served in the First presidency of Donald Trump#Administration, first administration of Donald Trump as director of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) fr ...
that she would work to "pursue legislation that conditions the $3.8billion in U.S. military funding to Israel to ensure that U.S. taxpayers are not supporting annexation
Annexation, in international law, is the forcible acquisition and assertion of legal title over one state's territory by another state, usually following military occupation of the territory. In current international law, it is generally held t ...
in any way". AIPAC
The American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC ) is a pro-Israel lobbying group that advocates its policies to the legislative and executive branches of the United States. It is one of several pro-Israel lobbying organizations in the ...
condemned the letter, saying it threatened the US-Israel relationship.
In May 2021, Ocasio-Cortez issued a statement condemning Israel's evictions of Palestinian families from their homes in Israeli-occupied East Jerusalem
East Jerusalem (, ; , ) is the portion of Jerusalem that was Jordanian annexation of the West Bank, held by Jordan after the 1948 Arab–Israeli War, as opposed to West Jerusalem, which was held by Israel. Captured and occupied in 1967, th ...
. She criticized President Biden
Joseph Robinette Biden Jr. (born November 20, 1942) is an American politician who was the 46th president of the United States from 2021 to 2025. A member of the Democratic Party, he served as the 47th vice president from 2009 to 2017 and re ...
for saying Israel "has a right to defend itself", arguing that " blanket statements like these ith
The Ith () is a ridge in Germany's Central Uplands which is up to 439 m high. It lies about 40 km southwest of Hanover and, at 22 kilometers, is the longest line of crags in North Germany.
Geography
Location
The Ith is i ...
little context or acknowledgement of what precipitated this cycle of violence—namely, the expulsions of Palestinians and attacks on Al Aqsa
Al-Aqsa (; ) or al-Masjid al-Aqṣā () and also is the compound of Islamic religious buildings that sit atop the Temple Mount, also known as the Haram al-Sharif, in the Old City of Jerusalem, including the Dome of the Rock, many mosques and ...
—dehumanize Palestinians ndimply the US will look the other way at human rights violations."
On September 23, 2021, Ocasio-Cortez abruptly changed her vote
Voting is the process of choosing officials or policies by casting a ballot, a document used by people to formally express their preferences. Republics and representative democracies are governments where the population chooses representative ...
from " no" to "present
The present is the period of time that is occurring now. The present is contrasted with the past, the period of time that has already occurred; and the future, the period of time that has yet to occur.
It is sometimes represented as a hyperplan ...
" on a bill providing $1 billion for Israel's Iron Dome
Iron Dome () is an Israeli mobile all-weather air defense system, developed by Rafael Advanced Defense Systems and Israel Aerospace Industries. The system is designed to intercept and destroy short-range rockets and artillery shells fired f ...
missile defense system, citing the "hateful targeting" she had received surrounding the bill. She apologized for her vote after receiving criticism on social media from some supporters of Israel and of Palestine
Palestine, officially the State of Palestine, is a country in West Asia. Recognized by International recognition of Palestine, 147 of the UN's 193 member states, it encompasses the Israeli-occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and th ...
but maintained her opposition to the bill due to Israel's "persistent human rights abuses
Human rights are universally recognized moral principles or norms that establish standards of human behavior and are often protected by both national and international laws. These rights are considered inherent and inalienable, meaning t ...
against the Palestinian people".
On July 18, 2023, Ocasio-Cortez and eight other progressive Democrats (Jamaal Bowman
Jamaal Anthony Bowman (born April 1, 1976) is an American former politician and former educator who served from 2021 to 2025 as the United States representative for New York's 16th congressional district.
Bowman is the founder and former princi ...
, Cori Bush
Cori Anika Bush (born July 21, 1976) is an American politician, nurse, pastor, and Black Lives Matter activist who served as the United States House of Representatives, U.S. representative for from 2021 to 2025. The district includes all of the ...
, Andre Carson, Summer Lee
Summer Lynn Lee (born November 26, 1987) is an American politician who is the U.S. representative for Pennsylvania's 12th congressional district since 2023. Lee was the Democratic nominee in the 2022 election to represent Pennsylvania's 12th ...
, Ilhan Omar
Ilhan Abdullahi Omar (born October 4, 1982) is an American politician serving as the U.S. representative for since 2019. She is a member of the Democratic Party. Before her election to Congress, Omar served in the Minnesota House of Represen ...
, Ayanna Pressley
Ayanna Soyini Pressley (born February 3, 1974) is an American politician who has served as the United States House of Representatives, U.S. representative for Massachusetts's 7th congressional district since 2019. This district, which was once re ...
, Delia Ramirez, and Rashida Tlaib
Rashida Harbi Tlaib ( ; born July 24, 1976) is an American lawyer and politician serving as a U.S. representative from Michigan since 2019, representing the state's 12th congressional district since 2023. A member of the Democratic Party, sh ...
), voted against a congressional
A congress is a formal meeting of the representatives of different countries, constituent states, organizations, trade unions, political parties, or other groups. The term originated in Late Middle English to denote an encounter (meeting of ad ...
non-binding resolution
A non-binding resolution is a motion adopted by a deliberative body that does not enact a law or a substantive rule, and is simply used to make known what the opinions of that body are in relation to a certain fact or event.
This type of resoluti ...
proposed by August Pfluger
August Lee Pfluger ( ; born December 28, 1977) is an American politician and reserve military officer from the state of Texas. He is the U.S. representative for . Pfluger succeeded fellow Republican Mike Conaway in 2021.
Early life and educati ...
that "the State of Israel is not a racist
Racism is the belief that groups of humans possess different behavioral traits corresponding to inherited attributes and can be divided based on the superiority of one Race (human categorization), race or ethnicity over another. It may also me ...
or apartheid
Apartheid ( , especially South African English: , ; , ) was a system of institutionalised racial segregation that existed in South Africa and South West Africa (now Namibia) from 1948 to the early 1990s. It was characterised by an ...
state", that Congress rejects "all forms of antisemitism
Antisemitism or Jew-hatred is hostility to, prejudice towards, or discrimination against Jews. A person who harbours it is called an antisemite. Whether antisemitism is considered a form of racism depends on the school of thought. Antisemi ...
and xenophobia
Xenophobia (from (), 'strange, foreign, or alien', and (), 'fear') is the fear or dislike of anything that is perceived as being foreign or strange. It is an expression that is based on the perception that a conflict exists between an in-gr ...
", and that "the United States will always be a staunch partner and supporter of Israel". She argued that it was wrong to pair "accusations of antisemitism with real concerns around the human rights crisis in the region" and that combining a "vote on antisemitism and discussion of apartheid and...two-tier legal systems is very cynical".
In 2023, Ocasio-Cortez condemned the October 7 Hamas-led attack on Israel
On October 7, 2023, Hamas and several other Palestinian militant groups launched coordinated armed incursions from the Gaza Strip into the Gaza envelope of southern Israel, the first invasion of Israeli territory since the 1948 Arab–Israeli ...
, calling it "horrifying attacks against innocent civilians". On October 12, she criticized Israel's plans to block electricity, water and fuel from Gaza, calling it a "collective punishment and a violation of international law". On October 16, she signed a resolution calling for a ceasefire in Gaza war
The Gaza war is an armed conflict in the Gaza Strip and southern Israel fought since 7 October 2023. A part of the unresolved Israeli–Palestinian conflict, Israeli–Palestinian and Gaza–Israel conflict, Gaza–Israel conflicts dating ...
. On March 22, 2024, she characterized Israel's assault on Gaza and the Gaza Strip famine
The population of the Gaza Strip is at high risk of famine as a result of Israeli bombing of the Gaza Strip, Israeli airstrikes during the Gaza war and an Israeli blockade of the Gaza Strip (2023–present), Israeli blockade, including of basic ...
as genocide
Genocide is violence that targets individuals because of their membership of a group and aims at the destruction of a people. Raphael Lemkin, who first coined the term, defined genocide as "the destruction of a nation or of an ethnic group" by ...
.
Asked what the Biden administration
Joe Biden's tenure as the List of presidents of the United States, 46th president of the United States began with Inauguration of Joe Biden, his inauguration on January 20, 2021, and ended on January 20, 2025. Biden, a member of the Democr ...
could have done better in the situation, Ocasio-Cortez said it could have enforced its red line on the Rafah offensive
On 6 May 2024, Israel began a military offensive in and around the city of Rafah as part of Israeli invasion of the Gaza Strip (2023–present), its invasion of the Gaza Strip during the Gaza war.
In early May, as ceasefire negotiations stal ...
, investigated its weapons shipments to Israel, provided heavier sanctions in response to the occupation of the West Bank
The West Bank is located on the western bank of the Jordan River and is the larger of the two Palestinian territories (the other being the Gaza Strip) that make up the State of Palestine. A landlocked territory near the coast of the Mediter ...
, and "rein in" Netanyahu
Benjamin Netanyahu (born 21 October 1949) is an Israeli politician who has served as the prime minister of Israel since 2022, having previously held the office from 1996 to 1999 and from 2009 to 2021. Netanyahu is the longest-serving prime min ...
. In a separate statement, she called for halting weapons transfers to Israel.
In January 2024, the US and other countries cut funding to the (UNRWA) over allegations that certain staff members participated in the Hamas attacks. On January 29, Ocasio-Cortez acknowledged the reports, but said that cutting funding to UNRWA was "unacceptable" and that the US "should restore aid immediately" because of the agency's humanitarian work.
Ocasio-Cortez boycotted Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu
Benjamin Netanyahu (born 21 October 1949) is an Israeli politician who has served as the prime minister of Israel since 2022, having previously held the office from 1996 to 1999 and from 2009 to 2021. Netanyahu is the longest-serving prime min ...
's 2024 speech to Congress, calling him a war criminal
A war crime is a violation of the laws of war that gives rise to individual criminal responsibility for actions by combatants in action, such as intentionally killing civilians or intentionally killing prisoners of war, torture, taking hostage ...
. In September, Ocasio-Cortez condemned the Lebanon electronic device attacks.
Governance
Judiciary
After the contentious confirmation of Supreme Court
In most legal jurisdictions, a supreme court, also known as a court of last resort, apex court, high (or final) court of appeal, and court of final appeal, is the highest court within the hierarchy of courts. Broadly speaking, the decisions of ...
justice Amy Coney Barrett
Amy Vivian Coney Barrett (born January 28, 1972) is an American lawyer and jurist serving since 2020 as an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States, associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States. The fifth wom ...
, Ocasio-Cortez urged Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden
Joseph Robinette Biden Jr. (born November 20, 1942) is an American politician who was the 46th president of the United States from 2021 to 2025. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, he served as the 47th vice p ...
to expand the court if he won and their party achieved a Senate
A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...
majority. In April 2021, she supported a bill to increase the Court's size. She again called for expansion in September 2021 after the Court voted not to grant an emergency stay of the Texas Heartbeat Bill.
In March 2022, Ocasio-Cortez called on Justice Clarence Thomas
Clarence Thomas (born June 23, 1948) is an American lawyer and jurist who has served since 1991 as an associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States. President George H. W. Bush nominated him to succeed Thurgood Marshall. Afte ...
to resign over his wife's texts urging President Trump
Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who is the 47th president of the United States. A member of the Republican Party, he served as the 45th president from 2017 to 2021.
...
's chief of staff
The title chief of staff (or head of staff) identifies the leader of a complex organization such as the armed forces, institution, or body of persons and it also may identify a principal staff officer (PSO), who is the coordinator of the supportin ...
to overturn the 2020 presidential election, raising a possible impeachment
Impeachment is a process by which a legislative body or other legally constituted tribunal initiates charges against a public official for misconduct. It may be understood as a unique process involving both political and legal elements.
In Eur ...
effort if he did not. After the Supreme Court overturned ''Roe v. Wade'' in June 2022, Ocasio-Cortez called for the impeachment of justices Neil Gorsuch
Neil McGill Gorsuch ( ; born August 29, 1967) is an American jurist who serves as an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States, associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States. He was Neil Gorsuch Supreme Court ...
and Brett Kavanaugh
Brett Michael Kavanaugh (; born February 12, 1965) is an American lawyer and jurist serving as an associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States. He was nominated by President Donald Trump on July 9, 2018, and has served since Oct ...
. She alleged that the two had lied under oath about their views on ''Roe
Roe, ( ) or hard roe, is the fully ripe internal egg masses in the ovaries, or the released external egg masses, of fish and certain marine animals such as shrimp, scallop, sea urchins and squid. As a seafood, roe is used both as a cooking, c ...
'' during their confirmation hearings.
In June 2022, after the Supreme Court
In most legal jurisdictions, a supreme court, also known as a court of last resort, apex court, high (or final) court of appeal, and court of final appeal, is the highest court within the hierarchy of courts. Broadly speaking, the decisions of ...
made several consequential rulings and granted ''certiorari
In law, ''certiorari'' is a court process to seek judicial review of a decision of a lower court or government agency. ''Certiorari'' comes from the name of a prerogative writ in England, issued by a superior court to direct that the recor ...
'' to ''Moore v. Harper
Moore may refer to:
Language
* Mooré language, spoken in West Africa
People
* Moore (surname)
** List of people with surname Moore
* Moore Crosthwaite (1907–1989), a British diplomat and ambassador
* Moore Disney (1765–1846), a senior of ...
'', which has a potential impact on future elections, Ocasio-Cortez tweeted that the US was "witnessing a judicial coup in progress". The next month, she claimed the Court had "gone rogue" and that impeachment, expansion, introduction of ethics rules and recusal
Recusal is the legal process by which a judge, juror, or other adjudicator steps aside from participating in a case due to potential bias, conflict of interest, or appearance of impropriety. This practice is fundamental to ensuring fairness and ...
requirements should be considered. She added that Thomas should certainly be impeached. Two days later, she led House progressives calling on the Democratic leadership in Congress to strip the Court of its jurisdiction "in the areas of abortion, marriage equality
Same-sex marriage, also known as gay marriage, is the marriage of two people of the same legal sex. marriage between same-sex couples is legally performed and recognized in 38 countries, with a total population of 1.5 billion people (20% ...
, non-procreative intimacy, and contraception
Birth control, also known as contraception, anticonception, and fertility control, is the use of methods or devices to prevent pregnancy. Birth control has been used since ancient times, but effective and safe methods of birth control only be ...
". They pointed to Thomas' concurring opinion in '' Dobbs'', which suggested revisiting cases that established a constitutional right
A constitutional right can be a prerogative or a duty, a power or a restraint of power, recognized and established by a sovereign state or union of states. Constitutional rights may be expressly stipulated in a national constitution, or they may ...
to contraception
Birth control, also known as contraception, anticonception, and fertility control, is the use of methods or devices to prevent pregnancy. Birth control has been used since ancient times, but effective and safe methods of birth control only be ...
, same-sex marriage
Same-sex marriage, also known as gay marriage, is the marriage of two people of the same legal Legal sex and gender, sex. marriage between same-sex couples is legally performed and recognized in 38 countries, with a total population of 1.5 ...
, and gay sex.
Pay raises for Congress
In 2019, Ocasio-Cortez supported pay raises for Congress. She wrote, "It's not a fun or politically popular position to take. But consistency is important. ALL workers should get cost of living increases. That's why minimum wage should be pegged to inflation, too." Members of Congress
A member of congress (MOC), also known as a congressman or congresswoman, is a person who has been appointed or elected and inducted into an official body called a congress, typically to represent a particular constituency in a legislature. The t ...
make $174,000 annually; the speaker
Speaker most commonly refers to:
* Speaker, a person who produces speech
* Loudspeaker, a device that produces sound
** Computer speakers
Speaker, Speakers, or The Speaker may also refer to:
Arts and entertainment
* "Speaker" (song), by David ...
makes $223,500 and House leaders make $193,400. Republican Kevin McCarthy
Kevin Owen McCarthy (born January 26, 1965) is an American politician who served as the List of speakers of the United States House of Representatives, 55th speaker of the United States House of Representatives from January until he was Remova ...
joined her in supporting the pay raise, saying he did not want Congress to be a place where only the wealthy can afford to serve. Colleagues such as Joe Cunningham (American politician), Joe Cunningham opposed the measure, saying, "We didn't come up here to give ourselves a raise".
Trump impeachments
On June 28, 2018, Ocasio-Cortez told CNN she would support the First impeachment of Donald Trump, first impeachment of President Trump, citing Trump's alleged violations of the Title of Nobility Clause, Emoluments Clause and saying that "we have to hold everyone accountable and that no person is Absolute immunity, above that law."
Ocasio-Cortez supported impeaching Trump a second time for his attempts to overturn the 2020 United States presidential election. On January 3, 2021, she said that the Trump–Raffensperger phone call constituted an impeachable offense, and called it a "despicable abuse of power". After January 6, she and many other Democrats co-sponsored an article of impeachment against Trump. Ocasio-Cortez said that Trump should be permanently barred from office and impeached.
Andrew Cuomo scandals
In April 2020, Ocasio-Cortez was one of 77 representatives to call for public reports of data on COVID-19 cases in nursing homes and long-term care facilities. In March 2021, she and Representative Jamaal Bowman
Jamaal Anthony Bowman (born April 1, 1976) is an American former politician and former educator who served from 2021 to 2025 as the United States representative for New York's 16th congressional district.
Bowman is the founder and former princi ...
called on Governor of New York, New York governor Andrew Cuomo
Andrew Mark Cuomo ( , ; born December 6, 1957) is an American politician and lawyer who served as the 56th governor of New York from 2011 until his resignation in 2021. A member of the Democratic Party and son of former governor Mario Cuomo, ...
to resign, citing the Andrew Cuomo sexual harassment allegations, sexual misconduct allegations against him as well as the New York COVID-19 nursing home scandal about the Cuomo administration's reported undercounting of COVID-19 nursing home deaths.
Puerto Rico
Ocasio-Cortez has called for "solidarity with Puerto Rico". She has advocated for granting Puerto Ricans further civil rights, regardless of Puerto Rico's legal classification. She advocates for voting rights and disaster relief. Ocasio-Cortez was critical of FEMA's response to Hurricane Maria and the federal government's unwillingness to address political status of Puerto Rico, Puerto Rico's political status. She believes the federal government should increase investment in Puerto Rico. In August 2020, Ocasio-Cortez and Nydia Velázquez introduced the Puerto Rico Self-Determination Act of 2020, which was referred to the House Committee on Natural Resources.
On March 18, 2021, Ocasio-Cortez, Velázquez and Senator Bob Menendez introduced a new version, the Puerto Rico Self-Determination Act of 2021, with over 70 co-sponsors in the House and seven co-sponsors in the Senate, including one Republican.
Withdrawal of Biden
After the 2024 United States presidential debates#June 27 presidential debate (Atlanta), June 2024 presidential debate, Ocasio-Cortez, who previously supported Biden during the campaign, said that she had spoken with Biden and that he made clear he was staying in the race. She said that she supported him and that her focus was defeating Republicans in the election. Later, on July 19, she held an ''Instagram Live'' in which she said that replacing Biden was risky and legally challenging, but suggested that nominating Vice President Kamala Harris was better than an open convention. When Biden Withdrawal of Joe Biden from the 2024 United States presidential election, withdrew from the race, she endorsed Harris.
Healthcare
Ocasio-Cortez supports transitioning to a single-payer healthcare system and considers medical care a Human rights, human right. She says that a single government health insurer should cover every American, reducing overall costs. Her campaign website says, "Almost every other developed nation in the world has Universal health care, universal healthcare. It's time the United States catch up to the rest of the world in ensuring all people have real healthcare coverage that doesn't break the bank." Many 2020 Democratic presidential candidates adopted the Medicare-for-all proposal.
In June 2019 and in July 2021, Ocasio-Cortez proposed legislation that would remove restrictions placed on researching the medical use of psilocybin.
In 2024, Ocasio-Cortez said of the Killing of Brian Thompson, killing of UnitedHealth Group#UnitedHealthcare, UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson: "this is not to say that an act of violence is justified", but "people interpret and feel and experience denied claims as an act of violence against them".
Ocasio-Cortez is a vocal opponent of efforts to cut Medicaid. She said that a bill Republicans introduced would result in depriving 13.7 million people of Medicaid and create a situation where "once you are kicked off Medicaid, you then can't even buy your own health insurance", and that private health care premiums would "skyrocket". When Ocasio-Cortez questioned the United States House Committee on Energy and Commerce, Energy and Commerce committee about patients who had a Miscarriage under the bill's working requirements, Representative Randy Weber told her to look toward Republicans and not the camera. She replied, "There are 13.7 million Americans on the other side of that screen there", including in Republican districts, and "they deserve to see what is happening here". Weber then asked her to yield, to which replied, "I will not yield because it was a terribly disrespectful comment, and I will not yield to disrespectful men".
Social issues
Abortion rights
Ocasio-Cortez supports codifying the right to abortion, and is a member of the House pro-choice caucus. On July 19, 2022, after the Supreme Court overruled ''Roe v. Wade'' in ''Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization'', she and 17 other members of Congress were arrested in an act of civil disobedience for refusing to clear a street during a protest for reproductive rights outside the United States Supreme Court Building, Supreme Court Building.
Education
Ocasio-Cortez campaigned in favor of establishing tuition-free public colleges and trade schools. She has said she is still paying off student loans herself and wants to cancel all student debt
Student debt refers to the debt incurred by an individual to pay for education-related expenses. This debt is most commonly assumed to pay for tertiary education, such as university.
The amount loaned or the loan agreement is often referred to as ...
.
Immigration
Ocasio-Cortez has expressed support for defunding and abolishing the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement
The United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE; ) is a federal law enforcement agency under the United States Department of Homeland Security. ICE's stated mission is to protect the United States from transnational crime and ille ...
(ICE) agency on multiple occasions. In February 2018 she called it "a product of the Presidency of George W. Bush, Bush-era Patriot Act suite of legislation" and "an enforcement agency that takes on more of a paramilitary tone every single day". That June, she said she would "stop short of fully disbanding the agency", and would rather "create a pathway to citizenship for more immigrants through decriminalization". She later clarified that this does not mean ceasing all deportations. Two days before the primary election, Ocasio-Cortez attended a protest at an ICE child-detention center in Tornillo, Texas, Tornillo, Texas. She was the only Democrat to vote against H.R. 648, a bill to fund and reopen the government, because it funded ICE.
In June 2019, Ocasio-Cortez compared the Trump administration migrant detentions, detention centers for undocumented immigrants under the First presidency of Donald Trump, Trump administration at the Mexico–United States border to "concentration camps". She cited "expert analysis", linking to an ''Esquire (magazine), Esquire'' article quoting Andrea Pitzer, author of ''One Long Night: A Global History of Concentration Camps'', who had made a similar claim. Some academics supported Ocasio-Cortez's use of the term for the forced detention of immigrants; others strongly criticized it, saying it showed disrespect for The Holocaust, Holocaust victims. In response to criticism from both Republicans and Democrats, Ocasio-Cortez said they had conflated concentration camps ("the mass detention of civilians without trial") with death camps. She refused to apologize for using the term: "If that makes you uncomfortable, fight the camps, not the nomenclature."
In July 2019, Ocasio-Cortez visited migrant detention centers and other facilities in Texas as part of a congressional delegation to witness the border crisis firsthand. She called the conditions "horrifying". She said that women in one cell said they had not had access to showers for two weeks and were told to drink water from the toilet when their sink broke, and that one woman said that her daughters had been taken from her two weeks earlier and she did not know where they were.
In January 2021, Ocasio-Cortez expressed support for the Roadmap to Freedom resolution to guide future immigration policy championed by Representative Pramila Jayapal. The resolution aims to safeguard vulnerable migrants while reducing criminal prosecutions of migrants.
In February 2021, when the Biden administration reopened a Carrizo Springs, Texas, center to house unaccompanied migrant children, Ocasio-Cortez responded that such actions "never will be okay—no matter the administration or party". For short-term measures to address the situation, she called for mandatory licensing for such centers and urged reconsideration of how the centers are "contracted out".
LGBTQ rights
Ocasio-Cortez is a proponent of LGBTQ rights and equality. She has said she supports the community and thanked its members for their role in her campaign. At the January 2019 New York City 2019 Women's March, Women's March in LGBT culture in New York City, Manhattan, Ocasio-Cortez gave a detailed speech in support of measures needed to ensure LGBTQ equality in the workplace and elsewhere. She has also spoken in support of transgender rights, specifically saying, "Trans rights are civil rights are human rights." Later, she appeared on a video game live stream to help raise money for Mermaids (charity), Mermaids, a UK-based charity for transgender children.
At the House Committee on Oversight and Reform on February 27, 2020, Ocasio-Cortez argued for LGBTQ equality in the context of her religious background. Referencing a Catholic hospital that refused a hysterectomy for a transgender man, she argued, "[t]here is nothing holy about rejecting medical care of people, no matter who they are, on the grounds of what their identity is. There is nothing holy about turning someone away from a hospital."
Police funding
When asked what America would look like if it defunded the police, she responded on Instagram
Instagram is an American photo sharing, photo and Short-form content, short-form video sharing social networking service owned by Meta Platforms. It allows users to upload media that can be edited with Social media camera filter, filters, be ...
: It looks like a suburb. Affluent white communities already live in a world where they choose to fund youth, health, housing etc more than they fund police. When a teenager or preteen does something harmful in a suburb (I say teen bc this is often where lifelong carceral cycles begin for Black and Brown communities), White communities bend over backward to find alternatives to incarceration for their loved ones to protect their future, like community service or rehab or restorative measures. Why don't we treat Black and Brown people the same way?
Electoral history
2018
2020
2022
2024
Awards and honors
The MIT Lincoln Laboratory
The MIT Lincoln Laboratory, located in Lexington, Massachusetts, is a United States Department of Defense federally funded research and development center chartered to apply advanced technology to problems of national security. Research and dev ...
named the asteroid
An asteroid is a minor planet—an object larger than a meteoroid that is neither a planet nor an identified comet—that orbits within the Solar System#Inner Solar System, inner Solar System or is co-orbital with Jupiter (Trojan asteroids). As ...
23238 Ocasio-Cortez after her when she was a senior in high school in recognition of her second-place finish in the 2007 Intel International Science and Engineering Fair
The Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF) is an annual science fair in the United States. It is owned and administered by the Society for Science, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization based in Washington, D.C.
Each May, more ...
. Ocasio-Cortez was named the 2017 National Hispanic Institute Person of the Year by Ernesto Nieto. In 2019, Ocasio-Cortez received the Adelle Foley Award. She was named as one of the 2019 BBC 100 Women.
Personal life
After the death of Ocasio-Cortez's father in 2008, her mother and grandmother moved to Florida due to financial hardship. She still has family in Puerto Rico, where her grandfather was living in a nursing home before he died in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria. Ocasio-Cortez has said that "to be Puerto Rican is to be the descendant of... African Moors ndSlavery in the Spanish New World colonies, slaves, Taíno, Taino Indians, Spanish colonizers, Jewish refugees, and likely others. We are all of these things and something else all at once—we are ''Boricua''."[ She has said she has some Sephardic Jewish ancestry.][Citations for Jewish ancestry:
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Ocasio-Cortez is a Catholic Church, Catholic. She discussed her faith and its impact on her life and her campaign for Criminal justice reform in the United States, criminal justice reform in a 2018 article she wrote for ''America (magazine), America'', the magazine of the Jesuit order in the United States.
During the 2018 election campaign, Ocasio-Cortez resided in Parkchester, Bronx, with her partner, web developer Riley Roberts. They became engaged in April 2022 in Puerto Rico.
In 2021, the watchdog
Watchdog or watch dog may refer to:
Animals
*Guard dog, a dog that barks to alert its owners of an intruder's presence
* Portuguese Watchdog, Cão de Castro Laboreiro, a dog breed
* Moscow Watchdog, a breed of dog that was bred in the Soviet U ...
group OpenSecrets, analyzing financial disclosure forms, ranked Ocasio-Cortez one of the least wealthy members of the 116th Congress, with a maximum net worth of $30,000.
In February 2021, Ocasio-Cortez said that she had been sexually assaulted. That May, she said that she had been in psychotherapy after the January 6 United States Capitol attack, which she called "extraordinarily traumatizing", saying she "did not know if I was going to make it to the end of that day alive".
Ocasio-Cortez is a fan of the New York Yankees. She has a pet French Bulldog named Deco, after the Art Deco movement.
See also
*List of Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States Congress
*List of Democratic Socialists of America who have held office in the United States
*Nuyorican
*Puerto Ricans in New York City
*Puerto Ricans in the United States#New York City, Puerto Ricans in the United States
*Women in the United States House of Representatives
Notes
References
Further reading
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External links
*
Campaign website
*
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez's file
at PolitiFact
PolitiFact.com is an American nonprofit project operated by the Poynter Institute in St. Petersburg, Florida, with offices there and in Washington, D.C. It began in 2007 as a project of the ''Tampa Bay Times'' (then the ''St. Petersburg Times ...
Profile
at National Women's History Museum
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Ocasio-Cortez, Alexandria
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez,
1989 births
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