Miami Connection
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez's progressive policies on climate change and immigration resonate strongly in Miami, a city vulnerable to sea-level rise and home to a large Hispanic population with ties to Puerto Rico, her mother's homeland. Her advocacy for the Green New Deal influences South Florida's push for federal funding in resilient infrastructure and clean energy jobs amid frequent hurricanes. While representing NY-14, her national platform amplifies voices in Miami's Latinx communities on issues like DACA and economic inequality.
About
Born on October 13, 1989, in the Bronx, New York, to working-class parents of Puerto Rican descent, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez grew up in the Parkchester neighborhood before her family moved to Yorktown Heights. She graduated cum laude from Boston University in 2011 with degrees in economics and international relations, interning in Senator Ted Kennedy's office on immigration issues. After college, she returned to the Bronx, working as a waitress and bartender to help her family avoid foreclosure following her father's death from cancer in 2008, and served as Educational Director for the National Hispanic Institute. Inspired by Bernie Sanders' 2016 campaign and Standing Rock protests, she launched her first congressional bid in 2018, stunning the political world by defeating 10-term incumbent Joe Crowley in the Democratic primary. Sworn in at age 29, she introduced the Green New Deal as her first legislation and has been reelected in 2020, 2022, and 2024. As a member of the 'Squad' and Democratic Socialists of America, she advocates for worker rights, climate justice, and abolishing ICE.