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Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez: Millennial beats veteran Democrat | Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez: Millennial beats veteran Democrat |
(about 1 hour later) | |
A millennial candidate has shaken up the US Democratic Party by defeating the incumbent congressman for his seat. | |
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, 28, defeated political veteran Joe Crowley, 56, on Tuesday night in their party's congressional primary in New York City. | Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, 28, defeated political veteran Joe Crowley, 56, on Tuesday night in their party's congressional primary in New York City. |
Mr Crowley, a 10-term Democrat, had been tipped as a future party leader or even Speaker of the House. | Mr Crowley, a 10-term Democrat, had been tipped as a future party leader or even Speaker of the House. |
Ms Ocasio-Cortez, a former Bernie Sanders volunteer from a Puerto Rican family, won with 57.5% of the vote. | |
Mr Crowley had not faced a challenger from his own party in 14 years in the majority ethnic minority district, which covers parts of the Bronx and Queens. | |
Ms Ocasio-Cortez will now face Republican candidate Anthony Pappas in the November mid-terms. | Ms Ocasio-Cortez will now face Republican candidate Anthony Pappas in the November mid-terms. |
If she wins, she will become the youngest ever woman elected to Congress. | If she wins, she will become the youngest ever woman elected to Congress. |
The political novice, who describes herself as a socialist Democrat, had huge grassroots support. She raised more small-dollar donations than any other New York City congressional candidate. | |
She led a progressive campaign, supporting universal healthcare, tuition-free college and criminal justice reform. | |
During her campaign, she criticised Mr Crowley for his ties to Wall Street and accused him of being out of touch with his increasingly diverse constituents. | |
They thanked each other after the result, with Mr Crowley saying he would support Ms Ocasio-Cortez in the mid-terms. | They thanked each other after the result, with Mr Crowley saying he would support Ms Ocasio-Cortez in the mid-terms. |
Political analysts see her 15-percentage-point victory as the biggest political upset within a party since Republican House Majority Leader Eric Cantor lost in 2014 to a little-known right-wing professor, Dave Brat. | |
Who is Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez? | Who is Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez? |
One of the many new female faces joining US politics this year, Ms Ocasio-Cortez is a Bronx-born Latina, a community organiser and educator from a working-class background. | One of the many new female faces joining US politics this year, Ms Ocasio-Cortez is a Bronx-born Latina, a community organiser and educator from a working-class background. |
The political newcomer made a viral campaign video in which she said: "I was born in a place where your zip code determined your destiny. Women like me aren't supposed to run for office." | |
She has a degree in economics and international relations from Boston University, but after graduation she worked as a waitress and bartender to supplement her mother's income as a house cleaner and bus driver, according to a profile in The Intercept. | |
She says she decided it was time her New York City district was represented by a young progressive woman of colour after watching the election of Donald Trump as president. | |
She described her congressional district in an interview with US news outlet Mic during her campaign. "Our median income is around $47,000 a year, we're about 70% people of colour," she said. "We've had the same representation for a generation." |