Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is an American left-wing politician and activist. In November 2018, she was elected to the United States House of Representatives from New York’s 14th congressional district, becoming the youngest member of Congress in United States history. Her rapid rise from grassroots organizing to national prominence positioned her as one of the most influential political figures of her generation.

Early Life and Family Background

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez was born on October 13, 1989, in the Bronx, New York, United States, to Sergio Ocasio and Blanca Ocasio-Cortez. Her father, born in the Bronx to a Puerto Rican family, worked as an architect, while her mother was born in Puerto Rico. She has one younger brother, Gabriel Ocasio-Cortez.

At the age of five, she moved with her family from the Bronx to Yorktown Heights in Westchester County, New York. Despite the relocation, her upbringing remained deeply connected to the Bronx, an experience that later informed her political focus on class inequality, housing, and access to public services.

Education and Formative Years

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez graduated from Yorktown High School in 2007. She later enrolled at Boston University, where she pursued a double major in international relations and economics. In 2011, she graduated with honors, developing an academic foundation in global power structures and economic policy.

During her second year at university, her father died in 2008 from lung cancer. Following his death, her mother worked as a cleaner and bus driver, while Ocasio-Cortez supported her family by working as a waitress and bartender. These experiences became central to her political identity and her advocacy for working-class Americans.

Early Political Experience

While attending university, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez worked in the office of Senator Ted Kennedy, brother of the 35th President of the United States, John F. Kennedy. In this role, she assisted Spanish-speaking constituents, gaining firsthand experience with federal legislative processes and constituent services.

During the 2016 Democratic primary elections, she worked on the presidential campaign of Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders. The campaign played a decisive role in shaping her ideological alignment with democratic socialism and progressive economic reform.

Grassroots Activism and Political Awakening

Following the 2016 general election, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez traveled across the United States by car, visiting communities affected by structural injustice. She spent time in Flint, Michigan, speaking with residents impacted by the water contamination crisis, and later traveled to the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation in North Dakota, where protests against the Dakota Access Pipeline were ongoing.

These encounters strengthened her commitment to environmental justice, indigenous rights, and economic accountability, further solidifying her transition from activist to political candidate.

2018 Congressional Campaign and Breakthrough

On June 26, 2018, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez gained national recognition by winning the Democratic Party primary for New York’s 14th congressional district. She defeated ten-term incumbent Joe Crowley, a senior Democratic leader, in what was widely described as one of the most dramatic political upsets of the 2018 midterm election cycle.

In the November 2018 general election, she defeated Republican candidate Anthony Pappas, securing her seat in Congress and signaling a generational shift within the Democratic Party.

Congressional Career and Political Positions

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez officially assumed office on January 3, 2019, at the age of 29, becoming the youngest member of Congress in United States history. She was re-elected in 2020 and 2022, and in the 2024 election she secured a fourth consecutive term, winning 68.9 percent of the vote.

As a member of the Democratic Party, she emerged as a leading voice of its progressive wing. In 2024, she boycotted Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s address to the U.S. Congress, publicly describing him as a war criminal. During the November 5, 2024, presidential election, she openly expressed her support for Kamala Harris.

Personal Life

In her personal life, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is in a relationship with Riley Roberts. While maintaining a high public profile, she has consistently emphasized boundaries between her political work and private life.

Source: Biyografiler.com