Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez: The Democrat who challenged her party’s establishment — and won
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A top House Democrat loses in upset.
Rep. Joseph Crowley of New York, a top-ranking Democrat and a rising star in the party, lost in a stunning upset Tuesday to a little-known primary challenger, sending shock waves through the party out of power less than five months before the midterm elections.
With almost all the ballots tallied, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a 28-year-old activist, had more than 57 percent of the vote to 42 percent for Crowley, the fourth-ranking House Democrat. Crowley became just the third sitting member of Congress, and the first Democratic incumbent, to lose in a primary this year.
The House Democratic Caucus chairman was widely seen as a potential successor to Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.). In a party already struggling with generational conflict, his defeat will set off a scramble in leadership as Democrats seek to gain control of the House in November.
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