Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has been a key member in the political "Blue Wave" of the 2018 Midterms. She has been covered nationally for her strongly left views, as well as some controversy involving the price of her suit. But all in all, who is Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and what don't we know about her and her movement? Is she the empowerment minorities and women have been waiting for?
Ocasio-Cortez received more small-dollar donations than any other NYC Candidate.
During Ocasio-Cortez's campaign, 70% of her contributions were in amounts under $200 dollars. This demonstrates wide-spread "grassroots" support, rather than reliance on major political backers like Bloomburg or the Koch Brothers. Although she gained local and national support for her Democratic-socialist views, she claimed to not accept any corporate Political Action Committee (PAC) money regardless.
She was a bar tender with roughly $7,000 in her savings.
Ocasio-Cortez has gotten a lot of flack for running on a platform highlighting her as another working-class American, when news sources have gone after her for apparently having more money than she alluded to. In actuality, she made about $26,000 in 2018 in her previous job as a bartender while the "average member of Congress has something like five times the net worth of the typical American household," proclaims Vox. She will begin earning a six-figure salary once she begins actively serving, but for right now, that estimated $7,000 to $15,000 in her savings won't be easily covering a near $3,000 monthly rent for a D.C. apartment.
She has earned political experience.
Ocasio-Cortez has worked alongside Senator Bernie Sanders and late Senator Ted Kennedy. She campaigned alongside Sanders in Kansas in the summer of 2018, but working for Ted Kennedy goes back to her college years. She attended Boston University and handled immigration casework and foreign affairs under Kennedy.
She has a focus on Puerto Rico.
Ocasio-Cortez has placed great importance on helping Puerto Rico, especially in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria. Having heritage in Puerto Rico, Ocasio-Cortez advocates for a Marshall Plan to aid in recovery after the hurricane and cancellation of the PROMESA Act and the Jones Act. She hopes to bring more support to Puerto Rico as a part of our nation.
She is the youngest women ever in Congress.
Ocasio-Cortez at age 28 surpassed the former youngest congresswomen, Elise Stefanik (R-NY). Elise Stefanik took office in 2015 at age 30. This is not only an exciting move for attracting more youth into the Democratic party, but this is a great sign for women and minorities across the nation.
Hopefully you all have a better grasp upon Ocasio-Cortez and what her views will bring to the table.
