Ocasio-Cortez's Next Task: Empowering Other Female Outsiders to Win

[Algernon Moncrieff]

NYT

As she stood atop a table in a packed Bronx billiards hall to deliver her victory speech, Ms. Ocasio-Cortez — who by morning would be one of the most talked-about names in American politics — reeled off a list of other progressive candidates she said needed to be sent to Congress: Ayanna Pressley in Massachusetts, for example, or Cori Bush in Missouri.

By morning, Ms. Ocasio-Cortez had also trumpeted Ms. Bush and Ms. Pressley to her fast-growing Twitter following. Within the week, Ms. Ocasio-Cortez had dispatched her volunteers to canvass for Cynthia Nixon, Zephyr Teachout and Julia Salazar, candidates for New York governor, attorney general and State Senate.

Ms. Pressley gained 5,000 Twitter followers in 24 hours. More than 120 volunteers have signed up for Ms. Teachout’s campaign this week. In the same period, Ms. Salazar has raised more than $20,000.

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Women in politics have long banded together to craft formal policy and to share informal tips. Emily’s List, the influential national organization that works to elect Democratic women, runs a 5,000-member Facebook group for women who are seeking office, considering a bid or supporting other female candidates. Several of the candidates Ms. Ocasio-Cortez has embraced noted that their collaborations predated last Tuesday’s primary.