Joseph Crowley, Member of House Democratic Leadership, Defeated in Primary

A 28-year-old first-time progressive candidate, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, defeated Rep. Joseph Crowley (D-N.Y.) on Tuesday, scoring one of the year’s biggest political upsets.

Crowley, who was a member of the Democratic leadership and was considered a possible successor to Nancy Pelosi, has been in the House since 1999, and has represented the 14th district since 2013. He was the chair of the House Democratic Caucus since 2017.

Ocasio-Cortez‘s victory was quickly compared to 2014 primary upset in which Dave Brat ousted Eric Cantor, then the No. 2 Republican in the House, from his Virginia district seat.

NY1 captured Ocasio-Cortez’s reaction as she realized she was winning the race.

Ocasio-Cortez ran a campaign that emphasized her working class roots and portrayed Crowley as out of touch with the district, which includes Queens and the Bronx. She was endorsed by Bernie Sanders’ group Our Revolution. She was an organizer in his presidential campaign.

Crowley had a campaign war chest that was 10 times that of Ocasio-Cortez, and his defeat will likely have an impact well beyond her district. It’s likely to highlight generational and ideological divides in other races, including the race for governor. Andrew Cuomo is facing a primary challenge from actress Cynthia Nixon, who is running as a more progressive alternative.

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