Who is Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez?

Alexandria Ocasio Cortez is a 28-year-old educator and politician who has just made history. In a totally grassroots campaign- Cortez has won the primaries in the majority Democratic district of Queens. Cortez won against Joseph Crowley, the incumbent for the district who served in D.C. since 2013.

Winning the primaries of New York’s, majority democratic and majority Hispanic, the 14th congressional district makes Cortez the next most likely representative for the Bronx-queens area. Furthermore, Cortez would be one of the youngest female representatives to date.

How did she win? Many found it surprising that a young woman who refused all financial funding from corporations, and was working as a bartender has now become one of the newest liberal faces in politics. Yet most people from her district understand exactly how she did it. Cortez is not your average politician or representative. She is a true voice of the people, something that is often missing today in our government system.

Growing up a latina from a working class family in the Bronx, Cortez is a local and a true representative of the district. She is a woman of the people. Her campaign mission states “I am an educator, organizer, Democratic Socialist, and born-and-raised New Yorker running to champion working families in Congress. It is well past time that we in NY-14 had a true, lobbyist-free representative who lives in our community and fights on behalf of Bronx + Queens families.”

As a Boston University and a National Hispanic Institute graduate, Cortez is a hardworking and well-rounded candidate. As a woman who has not only dealt with her own financial and healthcare struggles but received a degree in economics and international relations, Cortez is an extremely qualified politician to deal with the current issues faced in Congress, and an even better representative for the people of her district. As a young progressive woman with a lot of incite, experience, and ideas, many say Cortez is a politician that Congress needs.

Cortez believes she won because “This race is about people versus money — we’ve got people, they’ve got money…when you knock on your neighbor’s door, when you come to them with love, when you let them know that no matter your stance, you are there for them — that we can make change.”

Joseph Crowley, the incumbent Cortez faced, went on to endorse and congratulate Cortez.

Bernie sanders also congratulated Cortez.

While many see the cortez primary win as surprising, locals of the bronx and queens see it as an inevitable and necessary call for real representation and political action. Alexandria’s platform includes Medicare for all, Tuition-free public university,