NPC Statement: Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, The Political Revolution Continues! – Democratic Socialists of America

Statement by the Democratic Socialists of America National Political Committee
June 27, 2018

Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) member Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez just made history.

Against all odds, she soundly defeated a ten-term incumbent — the heir apparent to House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi — to win the Democratic Party nomination in New York’s 14th congressional district primary. If elected to Congress this fall, she will become the first Latina to represent this working class, majority-minority district that spans parts of the Bronx and Queens.

This isn’t just a victory for New Yorkers. It is a victory for basic principles of freedom and justice at a time when our political misleaders have given up on them. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez will continue the political revolution by fighting every day for the many, not the few, in Congress.

She has already been a key part of making the demand to abolish ICE a part of the mainstream electoral conversation. She will continue to be a champion for the abolition of ICE, Medicare for All, a federal jobs guarantee, tuition-free public colleges and universities, and equal rights and freedoms for all Americans.

And she’ll do it the same way she won this historic election victory — on the strength of a people’s movement for democracy. The time of corrupt political machines, high-priced consultants, and big-money campaign contributions is over in New York’s 14th congressional district.

We also want to congratulate the New York City DSA chapter and the scores of rank-and-file NYC-DSA members who poured their hearts and souls into this campaign. You believed in AOC and her campaign when few others did, and now you’ve helped to deliver a stunning defeat to the political establishment. DSA members around the country are very proud of you!

This was a hard-fought campaign, but the fight inside government will be even tougher. Congress is hostile territory for democratic socialists, and the powerful will do their worst to fight everything Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and the movement behind her stands for. We need to elect democratic socialists to office at every level, and to continue building people’s power in workplaces, neighborhoods, and schools across this country.

As Bernie put it in 2016, “Election days come and go. But political and social revolutions that attempt to transform our society never end.” Still, this Election Day was pretty special.

Congratulations to Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and everyone who made this victory possible!