It isn’t about who she defeated. It’s about how she defeated Joe Crowley.
Ocasio-Cortez beat Joe Crowley with a tenth of the funds he had. A large chunk of her funding came from small donors (under $200). Here’s how her stats look when compared to the rest of the NY Democratic House delegation.
It’s not just about the amount money, it’s also about where Crowley 3 million+ campaign war-chest came from. It was sourced from a laundry list of powerful PACs and big-money Democratic donors.
Democratic politicians who rely on networks of big-money donors to exercise and retain power are rethinking the effectiveness of that strategy tonight.
Machine politicians in New York have long relied on their chokehold control of Democratic party apparatus across the state. Tonight, they know that the machine can no longer guarantee their nomination. Yes, that means Cuomo.
Not only did Ocasio eschew PAC money and rely on a wide network of volunteers to Get out the Vote. She also directly questioned whether the interests of large Democratic donors are aligned with those of the Democratic base.
In the end, Ocasio, a former organizer for Bernie Sanders’ presidential campaign, out-organized Joe Crowley in his own district.
Ocasio, who is a Democratic Socialist spent part of this week in Texas, visiting the immigrant detention centers where the Trump administration is separating families. If, as is expected, she wins her race, you can expect her to be a strong and effective voice for immigrants and other marginalized people.
I have to say, Crowley is being extremely gracious about it:
And finally, to underscore how big a deal this is. Here’s a picture of Ocasio seven months ago:
— @subirgrewal