Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez easily wins Democratic primary for fourth term in Congress
NEW YORK — Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez easily turned aside a moderate Democratic primary challenge Tuesday, putting the progressive lawmaker on a glide path to a fourth term in Congress.
The outspoken leader of the leftist “Squad” beat little-known investment banker Marty Dolan for the nod in the deep-blue NY-14 district, which spans parts of central Queens and the Bronx.
Even before the lopsided results rolled in, Ocasio-Cortez, 34, framed her coming win as a victory for working people in the polyglot district as well as her progressive political stands.
“The cynics will tell you that one vote won’t change anything,” she tweeted. “But what they don’t tell you is that nothing can change without a vote.”
She is an overwhelming favorite to beat Republican Tina Forte in the November general election, a rematch of their one-sided 2022 clash that the Democrat won by more than 40%.
Meanwhile, first-term Rep. Dan Goldman beat back Democratic primary challenges from Evan Hutchinson, a progressive community organizer and critic of Israel, and consultant Brunso Grandsard.
He will be the overwhelming favorite to win reelection in the NY-10 district including lower Manhattan and a chunk of brownstone Brooklyn.
Dolan, 66, portrayed himself as a moderate Democrat who would end what he called Ocasio-Cortez’s radical policies and lack of attention to bread-and-butter issues affecting voters.
He accused her of fanning the crisis that has brought thousands of undocumented migrants to New York, although it’s not clear that is a popular position in the district chock-full of immigrants from Latin America and Asia.
Ocasio-Cortez showed little sign of being worried about Dolan since he launched his campaign last winter, the latest in a series of toothless challenges from her right.
Despite being a bogeyman for Republicans and supporters of Israel, Ocasio-Cortez has never faced a serious primary or general election fight in the district that includes Elmhurst, Jackson Heights, Astoria and parts of the south and east Bronx.
In the days leading up to the primary, she fiercely denounced Israel over the war in Gaza. She also attacked pro-Israel donors and the right-wing American Israel Public Affairs Committee for spending millions to defeat Bowman and other Democratic allies.
Ocasio-Cortez burst onto the scene six years ago when she scored a huge upset win over Rep. Joe Crowley, who was then the powerful No. 4 Democrat in the House.
Then just 29, the stylish newcomer made an instant impact as the face of a new crop of progressive Democrats who went to Washington in the 2018 blue wave sparked by opposition to former President Trump.
She backed Sen. Bernie Sanders in the 2020 presidential primary, but campaigned for President Biden after he won the Democratic nomination.
During Biden’s term, she has backed him strongly and even earned some pushback from her lefty allies who say she is moving to the middle.
The district was more or less left unchanged in the court-ordered redistricting effort after the 2020 census, allowing her to dodge a potential political hurdle.
She’s often mentioned as a possible future U.S. Senate candidate, although that would likely involve a political makeover to win a statewide election.
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