AOC launches plan to block non-progressive Democrats with all-female candidates: 'My ambition right now is to be a little less lonely in Congress'

Danielle Zoellner
Updated ·2 min read

Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is planning to endorse an all-female group of progressive candidates to build the far left, with some of the challengers going against members already in the Democratic Party.

Her endorsements of more than one dozen candidates from her new political action committee will include a progressive challenger to potentially unseat a Texas representative from her party.

"I think my ambition right now is to be a little less lonely in Congress," she told the New York Times.

Jessica Cisneros is seeking to oust Representative Henry Cueller of Texas in the House primary. Another woman attempting to unseat a current House Democrat is Marie Newman, who is running against Representative Daniel Lipinski of Illinois. Both have Ms Ocasio-Cortez' stamp of approval.

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez pictured during a guest appearance on ABC's 'The View': ABC via Getty Images
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez pictured during a guest appearance on ABC's 'The View': ABC via Getty Images

Ms Ocasio-Cortez gained notoreity among the liberal left of the Democratic Party after herb 2018 election victory when she defeated longtime incumbent Joe Crowley during the primary. This move from the Bronx, New York, representative is her way to reshape the party to mirror similar progressive views.

The Democratic Party has faced problems definining what direction it wants to go in leading up to the 2020 election. This problem has become more and more apparent during the presidential primary, with candidates like democratic socialist Bernie Sanders, whom Ms Ocasio-Cortez supports, going up against moderates like Pete Buttigieg and former Vice President Joe Biden.

Members of the party have expressed concerns over whether moving more left is a good move for the Democrats, specifically when beating Republicans like President Donald Trump. But Ms Ocasio-Cortez remains confident she wants to see more members like her in Congress, leaving Democratic moderates worrying about their own seats.

“One of our primary goals is to reward political courage in Congress and also to help elect a progressive majority in the House of Representatives,” Ms. Ocasio-Cortez told the newspaper. “There’s kind of a dual nature to this: One is opening the door to newcomers, and the other is to reward members of Congress that are exhibiting very large amounts of political courage.”

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