Just few years ago, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez was serving cocktails to support her mother. Today, at 29, she is the youngest woman to be elected to Congress.
She had earlier upset a powerful 10-term New York Democratic congressman, Joe Crowley, in the primary election, despite not having his financial firepower.
Ocasio-Cortez has now floored her Republican opponent Anthony Pappas in Tuesday’s midterm elections in the U.S, amassing a whopping 78% of votes.
Before Tuesday’s victory, the Bronx, New York native had worked what she described as “18 hour shifts” as a waitress and bartender, to assist her Puerto Rican mother, who also worked as a house cleaner.
Her father, a small business owner, had died of cancer and the family struggled to fight foreclosure.
“My mother cleaned homes and drove school buses, and when my family was on the brink of foreclosure, I started bartending and waitressing. I understand the pain of working-class Americans because I have experienced pain,” she had told MSNBC months ago.
Ocasio-Cortez ran her campaign on issues bordering on climate change, healthcare, education, and immigration, which has been one of Donald Trump’s most targeted cause since he became president.
Ocasio-Cortez’s victory has been hailed as a confirmation that there are no limitations for dreams to be achieved.
It also validates the importance of women’s role in politics, despite her popular tongue-in-cheek campaign slogan: “women like me aren’t supposed to run for office.”
