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In response to school and library needs, ABC-CLIO publishes this distinguished series of full-length biographies specifically for student use. Prepared by field experts and professionals, these engaging biographies are tailored for students who need challenging yet accessible biographies. Ideal for school assignments and student research, the length, format, and subject areas are designed to meet educators requirements and students interests.

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The idea that any one person is going to save us is not true. Im not going to save us. Only we can save us. And Im only as useful or powerful as the amount of people knocking on doors and talking to their neighbors. (Feller 2018)

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortezcommonly known by her initials, AOCburst onto the American political scene in June 2018, when the unknown newcomer defeated a powerful ten-term incumbent, Joseph Crowley, in the Democratic primary election to represent New Yorks Fourteenth Congressional District. Ocasio-Cortezs unexpected triumph over the party establishment catapulted the young, Latina, working-class girl from the Bronx and her slate of unapologetically progressive ideas into the national spotlight. Five months later, Ocasio-Cortez cruised to victory in the November midterms to becomeat age 29the youngest woman ever elected to Congress. She joined a blue wave that saw historic numbers of women and people of color elected to office and gave the Democratic Party control of the House of Representatives.

Ocasio-Cortezs unlikely ascent captured an inordinate amount of media attention. Theres this lightning strikes quality with Ocasio-Cortez, wrote Katherine Miller of BuzzFeed News, like for so long, each day, we prayed for something to fight about that isnt [President Donald] Trump, and something that is fun, and when both finally came along in one personage, nobody knew what to do or how to explain her prominence (Miller 2018). People across the country became captivated by the congresswomans backstoryher Puerto Rican roots, her familys financial struggles, her achievements as a first-generation college graduate, her experiences as a community organizer, and her employment as a bartender during her campaignwhich seemed at once ordinary in the way it reflected the typical life experiences of her constituents, and extraordinary in the way it contrasted with the typical rsum of members of Congress.

As a member of the millennial generation and a native of the digital age, Ocasio-Cortez parlayed the media coverage and public interest into a massive social media presence, collecting 4.5 million followers on Twitter and 3.7 million fans on Instagram within a year of her primary win. Her mastery of social media as a political tool helped her establish a uniquely high profile for a newly elected representative. We have not seen such a famous freshman member of the House since John Quincy Adams was elected to the House of Representatives after serving as our sixth president of the United States, said MSNBC anchor Lawrence ODonnell. And there is apparently no one in the House of Representatives who understands fame and knows how to use fame better than Congresswoman Ocasio-Cortez, who does not need a staff to explain Instagram to her or any other social media or mass communication tool (Brigham 2019).

Ocasio-Cortez took full advantage of her newfound visibility to amplify her platform of progressive ideas aimed at eliminating economic inequality, achieving social justice, and making the federal government accountable to all citizens rather than only the wealthy and powerful. Ocasio-Cortezs ability to engage social media audiences and dominate the news cycle thrust such policies as Medicare for All, tuition-free public college, the Green New Deal, and abolishing ICE (the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agency) to the forefront of public discussion. Some observers credited her influence for pushing the 2020 Democratic presidential candidatesand the entire party platformto the left.

As Ocasio-Cortez emerged as a leader of the progressive movement, however, the outspoken congresswoman became the target of near-constant attacks from conservative Republicans and right-wing media outlets. Critics portrayed her as either an inexperienced political lightweight or a dangerous radical who threatened to overthrow capitalism and install a socialist system. Wonder Woman of the left, Wicked Witch of the right, Ocasio-Cortez has become the second most talked-about politician in America, after the President of the United States, Charlotte Alter commented in a