Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (Ocasiocortez.com)
June 23, 2020 Staff Report
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who stunned the political world in 2018 when she was elected to represent the 14th Congressional District, has shown the establishment today that her victory two years ago was no aberration.
Ocasio-Cortez, with nearly 75 percent of the scanners reported, has a significant lead over her challengers Michelle Caruso-Cabrera and Badrun Khan. The incumbent had 73 percent of the votes cast, with Caruso-Cabrera 20 percent and Badrun Khan 5 percent.
The official results will not be known for days, since an unprecedented number of absentee votes have yet to be counted and they won’t be counted until June 30. Tonight’s unofficial results are gathered from in-person ballots cast Tuesday and during early voting.
Ocasio-Cortez had a point to prove and she campaigned hard. She issued a tweet at 10:33 p.m. as it become clear her lead was unassailable.
When I won in 2018, many dismissed our victory as a “fluke.”
Our win was treated as an aberration, or bc my opponent “didn’t try.”
So from the start, tonight’s race was important to me.
Tonight we are proving that the people’s movement in NY isn’t an accident. It‘s a mandate.
— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) June 24, 2020
The campaign at times was heated. Caruso-Cabrera, a former CNBC journalist, put forward the narrative that Ocasio-Cortez did little to help her constituents—and was too focused on being in the national spotlight.
“AOC is MIA,” Caruso-Cabrera would say, adding that the incumbent worked against party leaders such as House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
Michelle Caruso Cabrera (Photo: michellecc2020.com)
Ocasio-Cortez, as well as Khan, argued that Caruso-Cabrera was not a true Democrat, noting that she was a former Republican and her campaign was funded by Wall Street and big business.
The 14th Congressional district covers the neighborhoods of Astoria, Sunnyside, Woodside, Jackson Heights, Elmhurst, East Elmhurst, Corona, College Point and portions of the eastern section of The Bronx.
One Comment
The craziest thing is… AOC thinks she had a successful 1st term. Representatives are largely re-elected if they are big named individuals. AOC will probably stay in office for years to come: that doesn’t mean she is doing a good job, or even representing her constituents well, it means people know who she is, and will vote for her because she’s active (good or bad).