“Nobody ever wins the first time they run for office. Nobody's ever supposed to win their first bid for office. Nobody's ever supposed to win without taking lobbyists' money. No one's ever supposed to defeat an incumbent. No one's ever supposed to run a grassroots campaign without running any ads on television. We did all of those things.”

American politician and activist, since 2019

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, known as AOC, is an American politician and activist who has served since 2019 as the U.S. representative for New York's 14th congressional district. She is a member of the Democratic Party and the Democratic Socialists of America. She has built her public profile around electoral politics and activism, with her congressional work placing her among the more closely watched figures in contemporary American politics. Her statements often reflect the priorities of her political work and the broader causes she supports through public advocacy.