Ten-term white Democratic congressman Joe Crowley just lost massively to 28-year-old Latina Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez in New York's 14th District despite outspending her ten to one, having the backing of the establishment and apologizing for being white.
Ocasio-Cortez ran on a platform of abolishing ICE, giving free everything to everyone and opening up our nation's prisons.
From Vox:
Rep. Joe Crowley, one of the top Democrats in the House of Representatives, lost his New York primary in a shocking upset on Tuesday night to community organizer Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.
Crowley, having fundraised nearly $3 million for the race in New York’s 14th District, fell easily to a first-time candidate with a viral introduction video, a Democratic Socialists of America membership card, and a proudly leftist agenda. She ran on Medicare-for-all, a federal jobs guarantee, and getting tough on Wall Street. The race was called just before 10 pm for Ocasio-Cortez.
This photo is from Nov. 14, 2017. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, 28, was then working as a bartender.
Less than a year later, she defeated the likely next Speaker of the House, and will almost certainly be the youngest woman ever elected to Congress pic.twitter.com/JgHjdQWAF6
— Jeff Stein (@JStein_WaPo) June 27, 2018
For those who closely watch elections, this is the biggest primary upset since then-Majority Leader Eric Cantor was defeated by David Brat in 2014. Brat ran on a campaign of depicting Cantor as a creature of Washington rather than a true representative of the district.Likewise, Crowley, who has been in Congress since 1999, is the No. 4 Democrat in the House and was widely viewed as an eventual successor to Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi. Though he was a stalwart progressive on nearly every issue, he also had close ties to Wall Street. This made him a formidable fundraiser, something that Ocasio-Cortez turned against Crowley in the primary. She eventually fundraised about $600,000 through small-dollar donors.
The district, which spans parts of the Bronx and Queens, is heavily Democratic, so Ocasio-Cortez is all but guaranteed to be a new member of Congress in November.
Crowley complained that Ocasio-Cortez made the race all about his race.
.@repjoecrowley, I am disappointed to hear your comments about race in our primary.
Today at 10am, Ocasio2018 has a consciousness-raising session for our white supporters who wish to be better allies for BX+ Queens / PoC communities.
I invite you to join.https://t.co/wk3yHB0LBp
— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@Ocasio2018) June 9, 2018
From The Intercept:
His opponent, he said, was trying to make the campaign “about race” — a strategy he called “unnecessarily divisive” at a time when the party needed to be “fighting Republicans, not other Democrats,” according to two people at the gathering.
“I can’t help that I was born white,” Crowley said.
Here's a sampling of her tweets:
It’s very hard not to talk about white supremacy in NY-14 (BX and Queens).
It’s the home of Rikers jail, named after the Rikers, a powerful New York family that sold freemen back to the South for profit.
NY-14 is also a 70% PoC district that has NEVER had a PoC Rep in Congress.
— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@Ocasio2018) May 7, 2018
It’s time we say it: New York politics has an enormous misogyny problem. It has far-reaching consequences.
In NYC our Governor, Mayor, Council Speaker, and Queens Dem Boss are all powerful white men.
That’s not an accident. It’s a culture. #MeToo https://t.co/TB7f6BKNKC
— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@Ocasio2018) May 8, 2018
The numbers don’t lie: by FAR, white supremacist organizations have attacked Americans in more acts of domestic terrorism than any other group.
Meanwhile, Trump’s administration ended funding to de-radicalization efforts to win back young men caught in white supremacist groups. https://t.co/6jDkAtyojX
— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@Ocasio2018) February 15, 2018
To cover for, blur, or distract from racist behavior is to protect racism itself.@SecNielsen, you are participating in a profoundly destabilizing pattern of behavior.
White supremacist groups are a real threat to Homeland Security, for which you are responsible. Do better. https://t.co/lsawQZoB1o
— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@Ocasio2018) January 16, 2018
Trump mocked Crowley for losing on Twitter:
Wow! Big Trump Hater Congressman Joe Crowley, who many expected was going to take Nancy Pelosi’s place, just LOST his primary election. In other words, he’s out! That is a big one that nobody saw happening. Perhaps he should have been nicer, and more respectful, to his President!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 27, 2018
Democrats are acting like this is somehow bad for Republicans.
Dude, he lost to someone who hates you even more.
— The Cyber (@r0wdy_) June 27, 2018
Having another Maxine Waters in congress is not bad for Republicans. The crazier the left gets the more people are forced to wake the hell up.
"We're going to transfer all the money from those who work to those who don't" is not a compelling national platform.
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