Democrat Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez stuck to her working class roots and Puerto Rican heritage to pull out a big win, while becoming the youngest women ever elected to Congress.
The 29-year-old former bartender, with a degree in economics and international relations from Boston University, stood before cheering voters and announced, "We have made history tonight." It was a huge victory for the woman whose mother was a cleaner and whose father passed away when she was just nineteen.
She went on to say in her victory speech:
"This is what is possible when everyday people come together in the collective realization that all our actions, no matter how small or how large, are powerful, worthwhile and capable of lasting change.
Words cannot express my gratitude to every organizer, every small-dollar donor, every working parent and dreamer who helped make this movement happen.
And that's exactly what this is. Not a campaign or an election day, but a movement, a larger movement for social, economic and racial justice in America."
The news of Ocasio-Cortez's victory spread through social media.
Congratulations, Congresswoman!
Jane Rosenberg
Jane Rosenberg
@arianagrande/Instagram
@arianagrande/Instagram