Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez came to national attention when she defeated longtime congressman Joseph Crowley in a primary challenge and ultimately ascended to Congress. Next year, she’ll be facing a challenger of her own.
Fox News reported that Democratic activist Badrun Khan will be facing off against Ocasio-Cortez for the chance to represent New York’s 14th congressional district.
Khan currently sits on Queens Community Board 2. She will be campaigning under the slogan, “REAL results…Not empty promises.”
Challenging Ocasio-Cortez
Judging by her comments reported by The Hill, Ocasio-Cortez seems confident about her prospects. “I just focus on delivering for my district and doing the best job. I try not to focus too much on other folks in the field,” she said.
A native of New York, Khan’s website describes her as “the eldest daughter of Bengali born parents who migrated to the United States in search of a better life and greater opportunity.”
Khan’s biography also indicates that she holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Marymount Manhattan College and “has worked as a financial officer for a large school for the past seven years.”
It appears that key pillars of her platform will be the future of healthcare and Social Security in America. She’s pledging to “fight to ensure Social Security and Medicare benefits will not be reduced rather they should be enhanced from their current levels.”
Other issues she will highlight in her campaign include government reform, veterans’ benefits, and the drug epidemic.
AOC the agitator
Ocasio-Cortez is among the nation’s highest-profile Democrats and is an undeniably controversial figure. Though she is set to face a challenge from within her own party’s ranks in the next election cycle, it appears that she nevertheless may be planning to throw her weight behind those looking to unseat incumbents in other districts.
The Hill reports that Ocasio-Cortez is considering supporting challengers to Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY), House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), and Henry Cuellar (D-TX).
The relationship between AOC and Pelosi has been noticeably strained for some time. During a July interview, Ocasio-Cortez made statements that many took as thinly-veiled accusations that Pelosi had acted in a racist manner toward young minority members of Congress known as the “Squad.”
“When these comments first started, I kind of thought that she was keeping the progressive flank at more of an arm’s distance in order to protect more moderate members, which I understood,” she stated. “But the persistent singling out … it got to a point where it was just outright disrespectful … the explicit singling out of newly elected women of color.”
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