A 28-year-old political newcomer beat a veteran politician in New York’s Democratic Party congressional primary election on Tuesday night, in a shocking upset within the Democratic Party.
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez won 57.5% of the vote while her opponent, Joe Crowley, had 42.5%. Crowley has represented New York’s 14th district since 1999 and has been touted as a potential future Speaker of the House of Representatives.
The victory of Ocasio-Cortez is a major upset to the Democratic Party, which has seen a schism between establishment and progressive Democrats since the 2016 election.
Less than a year ago, Ocasio-Cortez was working as a bartender to help support her working-class family. In November 2018, she will take on Republican candidate Anthony Pappas for a seat in the US House of Representatives. A Democrat has won that district by a landslide in the past nine elections.