The Rise And Rise Of Progressive Star Ocasio-Cortez

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s easy transition from insurgent to establishment comes at a time of heightened speculation about her future. In the last two years, she has built a formidable political operation that puts her among the top fundraisers in Washington

- Richard Hall

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who won a shock primary victory two years ago and swiftly rose to national political stardom, looks set to win a second term in Congress.

The 30-year-old progressive defeated a number of centrist primary challengers from her own party, paving the way for re-election in New York’s 14th district, a safe Democratic seat that covers the Bronx and Queens.

An increase in postal ballots due to the coronavirus means that many thousands of votes will not be counted until next week. But with early results showing Ms Ocasio-Cortez with a more than 50 per cent lead, the Associated Press called the race on Tuesday evening.

“To win with that kind of mandate is transformative,” Ms Ocasio-Cortez said in a video message to supporters as the results came in.

“It tells us that our policy positions are not an accident, it’s exactly what our community has been waiting for. And it’s the kind of leadership that our states and our country have been waiting for,” she added.

Ms Ocasio-Cortez’s easy transition from insurgent to establishment comes at a time of heightened speculation about her future. In the last two years, she has put her name to hundreds of pieces of legislation — including cosponsoring a major climate change bill — and built a formidable political operation that puts her among the top fundraisers in Washington.

Greeting voters on the campaign trail near a school in Astoria, Queens, on Tuesday afternoon, she was tight-lipped about her plans beyond 2020. “I’m just focused on getting re-elected today,” she laughed, when asked by The Independent.