Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s Transformational Vision
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez won because she put forward a bold, clear message of class politics.
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez celebrates with supporters at a victory party in the Bronx after upsetting incumbent Democratic Representative Joseph Crowley on June 26, 2018 in New York City. Scott Heins / Getty
On June 26, 2018, everything changed for the socialist movement in the United States. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a member of the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) and a candidate in the NY-14 Democratic primary, not only won her insurgent race against a longstanding, corporate-monied incumbent, but catapulted the politics of democratic socialism onto the national stage.
Ocasio-Cortez fielded questions about democratic socialism on The View and Colbert’s Tonight Show to say things like, “No person in America should be too poor to live.” The cover of the New York Times Sunday Review featured a glowing column about her and other candidates backed by DSA, titled “The Millennial Socialists Are Coming”.
As a result, four thousand people have joined DSA since last Tuesday — a 10 percent jump in one week — and millions of people are learning about socialism, in a positive light, for the first time in their lives.
This article is for subscribers only. Please login or subscribe to access our full archives and beautiful print and digital magazine starting at just $3 a month.