Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is a Democratic representative in the United States Congress after winning the election for the 14th congressional district of New York. She is the youngest woman ever elected to Congress in U.S. history at the age of 29
In the legislative elections held on November 6, 2018, the seat for New York's 14th district was won by a significant majority of votes.
Ocasio-Cortez was born in the Bronx, New York, on October 13, 1989. She has a Puerto Rican mother and a father of Puerto Rican descent who was also born in the Bronx. Ocasio-Cortez is progressive and a member of the Democratic Socialists of America. A staunch advocate for universal healthcare and the Jobs Guarantee program, she supports ending the privatization of prisons and ensuring access to public and free higher education. She is in favor of gun control policies as well. Additionally, she aims to raise taxes on the wealthiest individuals to 70% to fund her Green New Deal project, which seeks to address both climate change and income inequality through a massive and costly economic reform.
Since her election, she has not stopped receiving racist attacks from President Trump himself and his party due to her Latina heritage. In July 2019, referring to Ocasio among other Democratic congresswomen, he tweeted, "go back and help fix the totally destroyed and crime-infested places"..."It's very interesting to see the 'progressive' Democratic congresswomen, who originally came from countries whose governments are a total and complete disaster... and they aggressively tell the people of the United States how our government should be run." To which Ocasio responded, "Mr. President, the country I come from and the country we all pledge allegiance to is the United States," adding, "He's upset because he can't conceive of an America that includes us."
In May of that same year, her inclusion alongside Fidel Castro and Kim Jong-un as enemies of the American nation in a tribute video for Memorial Day, broadcast on a minor league baseball scoreboard, sparked significant controversy, which the congresswoman described as a message of hate that had brought her death threats.
In July 2020, she gave a feminist speech at the United States Congress in which she denounced the misogynistic insults she received from Republican legislator Ted Yoho of Florida, who confronted her in the hallways of the Capitol, calling her "disgusting, crazy, and dangerous." Ocasio spoke about the normalization of the macho culture in American society and its political class. "We have all had to deal with this, in some way, somehow, and at some point in our lives," she noted
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has recently made headlines in the Cuban community for urging her followers to boycott Goya products, the largest Latin food company in the United States, which is very popular among Hispanics in Florida. Its CEO, Robert Unanue, was invited to the White House as part of the launch of the Hispanic Prosperity Initiative, where he dedicated some complimentary words to the president, sparking anger from several Hispanic leaders, including Ocasio. She incited the boycott of Goya products through an ironic tweet stating, "Oh, listen, I'm googling how to make my own Adobo," referring to one of the brand's most iconic products. The hashtag used in the campaign was #Goyaway. Many activists, artists, and Hispanics have joined the support campaign for the famous company founded in 1936 by Unanue's grandfather, a Spanish immigrant.
