Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez

Early life and education

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez was born on October 13, 1989, in the Parkchester neighborhood of the Bronx, New York City. Her father, Sergio Ocasio-Roman, was born in the Bronx to a Puerto Rican family and became an architect; her mother, Blanca Ocasio-Cortez (née Cortés Rivera), was born in Puerto Rico and raised in Arecibo. She has a younger brother, Gabriel. The family lived in an apartment in Parkchester until Ocasio-Cortez was five, when they moved to a small house in suburban Yorktown Heights. According to Ocasio-Cortez, her parents pooled their savings to buy the home so that their children could attend better public schools; her mother worked as a house cleaner and school bus driver.

Ocasio-Cortez attended Yorktown High School, graduating in 2007. She placed second in the microbiology category of the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair in 2007 with a research project testing the effects of antioxidants on the lifespan of the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans. In high school, she participated in the National Hispanic Institute's Lorenzo de Zavala Youth Legislative Session. Her first job was as a hostess at an Irish pub in Westchester County. After graduating from high school, she served as an LDZ Secretary of State while attending Boston University. She was also a John F. Lopez Intern.

Her father died of lung cancer in 2008, during her second year of college, and she became involved in a lengthy probate dispute over his estate. She said the experience taught her "firsthand how attorneys appointed by the court to administer an estate can enrich themselves at the expense of the families struggling to make sense of the bureaucracy". During college, Ocasio-Cortez interned in the Boston office of U.S. senator Ted Kennedy, working on foreign affairs and immigration issues. She said that, as the office's only Spanish speaker, she handled calls from Spanish-speaking constituents. Ocasio-Cortez graduated cum laude from Boston University in 2011 with a Bachelor of Arts degree, double-majoring in international relations and economics.

After college, Ocasio-Cortez moved back to the Bronx, where she worked as a bartender and waitress to help her mother avoid foreclosure on their family home. She later launched Brook Avenue Press, a publishing venture intended to produce books portraying the Bronx favorably. Ocasio-Cortez also worked as an educational director for the National Hispanic Institute.

Early political career

Before running for Congress, Ocasio-Cortez worked as an organizer for the Bernie Sanders 2016 presidential campaign. After the election, she traveled across the U.S. by car, visiting places such as Flint, Michigan, and the Standing Rock Indian Reservation in North Dakota, and speaking to people affected by the Flint water crisis and the Dakota Access Pipeline. In an interview, she recalled her December 2016 visit to Standing Rock as a tipping point, saying that until then she had believed that the only way to run for office effectively was to have access to wealth, social influence, and power. But her visit to North Dakota, where she saw others "putting their whole lives and everything that they had on the line for the protection of their community", inspired her to begin to work for her own community. One day after she visited North Dakota, she received a call from Brand New Congress, which was recruiting progressive candidates (her brother had nominated her soon after Election Day 2016). Ocasio-Cortez said she was first exposed to the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) when a friend brought her to a local meeting in Washington Heights. She has credited Jabari Brisport's unsuccessful City Council campaign with restoring her belief in electoral politics, in running as a socialist candidate, and in the DSA as an organization.

U.S. House of Representatives (2019–present)

2018 congressional election

Ocasio-Cortez began her campaign in April 2017 while waiting tables and tending bar at Flats Fix, a taqueria in New York City's Union Square. "For 80 percent of this campaign, I operated out of a paper grocery bag hidden behind that bar", she told Bon Appétit. She was the first person since 2004 to challenge Joe Crowley, the Democratic Caucus Chair, in the primary. She faced a financial disadvantage, saying, "You can't really beat big money with more money. You have to beat them with a totally different game." Ocasio-Cortez's campaign undertook grassroots mobilization and did not take donations from corporations. Her campaign posters were said to have been inspired by "revolutionary posters and visuals from the past".

The candidates' only face-to-face encounter during the campaign occurred on a local political talk show, Inside City Hall, on June 15. The format was a joint interview conducted by Errol Louis, which NY1 characterized as a debate. A debate in the Bronx was scheduled for June 18, but Crowley did not participate. He sent former New York City Council member Annabel Palma in his place.

Ocasio-Cortez was endorsed by progressive and civil-rights organizations such as MoveOn and Democracy for America. Governor Andrew Cuomo endorsed Crowley, as did both of New York's U.S. senators, Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand, multiple U.S. representatives, various local elected officials and trade unions, and groups such as the Sierra Club, Planned Parenthood, the Working Families Party, NARAL Pro-Choice America, and Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America, among others. California representative Ro Khanna, who, like Ocasio-Cortez, was backed by Justice Democrats, initially endorsed Crowley but later endorsed Ocasio-Cortez in an unusual dual endorsement.

On June 26, 2018, Ocasio-Cortez received 56.7% of the vote (16,898) to Crowley's 43.3% (12,880). The result immediately attracted nationwide attention and was widely described as an upset, including by Time, CNN, The New York Times, and The Guardian. She was outspent by a margin of 18 to 1 ($1.5 million to $83,000) but was endorsed by some influential groups on the party's left. Crowley conceded on election night, but did not telephone Ocasio-Cortez that night to congratulate her, fueling short-lived speculation that he might run against her in the general election.

Bernie Sanders and Noam Chomsky congratulated her. Several commentators noted the similarities between Ocasio-Cortez's victory over Crowley and Dave Brat's Tea Party movement-supported 2014 victory over House majority leader Eric Cantor in the Republican primary for Virginia's 7th congressional district. Like Crowley, Cantor was a high-ranking member in his party's caucus. After her primary win, Ocasio-Cortez endorsed several progressive primary challengers to Democratic incumbents nationwide.

2020 congressional election

Michelle Caruso-Cabrera challenged Ocasio-Cortez in the 2020 Democratic primary. After Ocasio-Cortez won the nomination, Caruso-Cabrera reorganized and ran in the general election as the Serve America Movement nominee. Ocasio-Cortez's Republican challengers in the general election included nominee John Cummings, a former police officer, and Antoine Tucker, who ran as a write-in candidate.

The American Prospect wrote in October 2020 that Ocasio-Cortez was "spending the 2020 campaign running workshops" for constituents on workplace organizing, fighting eviction, and organizing childcare. It noted that Ocasio-Cortez was often not featured in the streamed workshops, saying the "strategy decentralizes the candidate from her own campaign".

On October 20, 2020, Ocasio-Cortez hosted a Twitch stream of the social deduction game Among Us, with fellow congresswoman Ilhan Omar, and many established streamers such as Pokimane, Hasan Piker, DrLupo, and mxmtoon. The stream peaked with over 400,000 viewers and, according to The Guardian's Joshua Rivera, succeeded in humanizing her. Ocasio-Cortez again streamed Among Us on Twitch on November 27, 2020, with Hasan Piker, xQc, ContraPoints and Canadian MP Jagmeet Singh to raise money for food pantries, eviction defense legal aid, and community support organizations to assist those suffering economic hardship during the COVID-19 pandemic. The stream raised $200,000 and Ocasio-Cortez wrote, "This is going to make such a difference for those who need it most right now."

2022 congressional election

Ocasio-Cortez ran unopposed in the Democratic primary. She defeated Republican Tina Forte and Conservative Party nominee Desi Cuellar in the general election.

2024 congressional election

In May 2024, the DSA debated whether to endorse Ocasio-Cortez. Some members argued that she was more committed to the Democratic Party and that her positions on Palestine had become weaker. On June 23, the DSA National Political Committee (NPC) voted to endorse her so long as she fulfilled its list of demands, most concerning Palestine. The New York City chapter, which endorsed her, rejected the deal. On July 10, the NPC withdrew its endorsement of Ocasio-Cortez, citing her participation in a panel that conflated antisemitism with anti-Zionism, her support for a resolution that characterized denial of Israel's right to exist as antisemitism, and a co-signed press release in support of the Iron Dome defense system.

Investment banker Marty Dolan, a moderate Democrat, ran against Ocasio-Cortez in the primary. Ocasio-Cortez won overwhelmingly.

Ocasio-Cortez again easily won the general election against Forte. Some voters in her district split their tickets, voting for Ocasio-Cortez and for Trump in the presidential election. Harris won 65% of the district's vote and Trump 33%, an increase from 2020. A political analyst said this was because both Trump and Ocasio-Cortez "were leading with the message of working-class pocketbook issues". Ocasio-Cortez asked those who split their tickets why they did so; some said that they both cared about the working class and were "less establishment", while others cited the Gaza war and the economy.

2026 congressional election

In April 2026, the New York City chapter of the DSA formally endorsed Ocasio-Cortez for reelection. According to unofficial election-night results, Ocasio-Cortez defeated Felipe Garcia and Marty Dolan in the June 23 Democratic primary, receiving 30,189 votes. She advanced to the general election against Republican nominee Diamant Hysenaj.

Tenure

Taking office at age 29, Ocasio-Cortez is the youngest woman ever to serve in the United States Congress, and also the youngest member of the 116th Congress.

When the 116th Congress convened on January 3, 2019, Ocasio-Cortez entered with no seniority but with a large social media presence. Axios credited her with "as much social media clout as her fellow freshman Democrats combined". In December 2024, she became the first Bluesky user to reach one million followers. Her colleagues appointed her to teach them social media lessons upon her arrival in Congress. In July 2019, two lawsuits were filed against her for blocking Joey Salads and Dov Hikind on Twitter in light of the Second Circuit Court of Appeals ruling that it was a violation of the First Amendment for President Trump to block people on Twitter. On November 4, 2019, it was announced that the lawsuit had been settled; Ocasio-Cortez issued an apology.

In a 2019 interview, Ocasio-Cortez said she had stopped using her private Facebook account and was minimizing her usage of all social media accounts and platforms, calling them a "public health risk".

In November 2018, on the first day of congressional orientation, Ocasio-Cortez participated in a climate change protest outside the office of House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi. Also that month, she backed Pelosi's bid to be Speaker of the House on the condition that Pelosi "remains the most progressive candidate for speaker".

When Ocasio-Cortez made her first speech on the floor of Congress in January 2019, C-SPAN tweeted the video. Within 12 hours, the video of her speech set the record as C-SPAN's most-watched Twitter video of a member of the House of Representatives.

In February 2019, speaking at a congressional hearing with a panel of representatives from campaign finance watchdog groups, Ocasio-Cortez questioned the panel about ethics regulations as they apply to both the president and members of Congress. She asserted that no regulations prevent lawmakers "from being bought off by wealthy corporations". With more than 37.5 million views, the clip became the most-watched political video posted on Twitter.

Harassment

On July 20, 2020, U.S. representatives Ted Yoho and Roger Williams accosted Ocasio-Cortez on the Capitol steps, where Yoho (as overheard by a journalist) called her "disgusting" and told her "You are out of your freaking mind" for recently suggesting that poverty and unemployment were driving a spike in crime in New York City during the COVID-19 pandemic amid her ongoing advocacy for cutting police budgets. Ocasio-Cortez told Yoho that he was being "rude". As she walked away from Yoho into the Capitol, Yoho called her a "fucking bitch". Yoho addressed the matter on the House floor and, without naming Ocasio-Cortez, apologized for the "abrupt manner of the conversation" with her, claiming that "offensive name calling, words attributed to me by the press, were never spoken to my colleagues", and concluding: "I cannot apologize for my passion". Ocasio-Cortez responded with a speech saying that the incident was emblematic of a "culture ... accepting of violence and violent language against women ... In using that language, in front of the press, he gave permission to use that language against his wife, his daughters, women in his community, and I am here to stand up to say that is not acceptable."

In November 2021, Representative Paul Gosar posted a version of the title sequence of the anime series Attack on Titan on social media that he had edited with the faces of Ocasio-Cortez, Joe Biden, and himself superimposed on the show's characters, depicting Gosar attacking them with swords and killing Ocasio-Cortez. Speaker Nancy Pelosi called for law enforcement and the House Ethics Committee to investigate it as a threat. Pelosi opened discussion on the House floor, saying that Gosar's actions demanded a response: "We cannot have members joking about murdering each other or threatening the president of the United States. This is both an indictment of our elected officials and an insult to the institution of the House of Representatives. It's not just about us as members of Congress. It is a danger that it represents to everyone in the country." When Republican House members refused to condemn the video, Ocasio-Cortez responded that she believed the video was "part of a pattern that normalizes violence", adding, "I believe this is a part of a concerted strategy and I think it's very important for us to draw a strict line, a strong line for material consequence". She gave a six-minute floor speech, saying, "This is not about me. This is not about Representative Gosar. This is about what we're willing to accept." The House voted to censure Gosar, mostly along party lines. The last time the House had censured a lawmaker was in 2010.

January 6 Capitol attack

In a nearly 90-minute Instagram Live video made in February 2021, Ocasio-Cortez said that she had previously experienced sexual assault, and recounted her experience of fear during the 2021 storming of the United States Capitol, when she was in her office (in the Cannon House Office Building). She said she had hidden in her office bathroom before being startled by a Capitol Police officer who entered her office suite and shouted "Where is she?" before ordering her and her staff to evacuate to a different House Office Building. Ocasio-Cortez said the officer did not self-identify, and said she first believed the officer's voice was that of an attacker. She described sheltering in place in Representative Katie Porter's office and preparing for what she believed would be an assault by rioters on their offices. She said, "I had a very close encounter where I thought I was going to die." She later said in an interview with Dana Bash, "I didn't think that I was just going to be killed." When Bash asked whether she thought she was going to be raped, she answered in the affirmative.

2024 Democratic National Convention

Ocasio-Cortez gave her first major convention speech in a prime-time slot at the 2024 Democratic National Convention. She expressed support for the Harris–Walz campaign and heavily criticized Trump, calling him a union buster who would "sell this country for a dollar if it meant lining his own pockets and greasing the palms of his Wall Street friends". Ocasio-Cortez addressed the Gaza war, saying Harris was "working tirelessly" for a ceasefire and hostage deal. Politico wrote that Ocasio-Cortez was one of the party's "most celebrated stars" and that the establishment acknowledged it. The speech also led to speculation about whether Ocasio-Cortez would run for higher office.

Committee leadership bid

In December 2024, Ocasio-Cortez ran for ranking member of the House Oversight Committee, but lost to the more senior Gerry Connolly, 131–84 in the House Democratic Caucus. She emphasized her platform and communication skills while running, while Connolly's supporters highlighted his experience. When Connolly announced in May 2025 that he was leaving his position because his cancer had returned, Ocasio-Cortez declined to run again, saying, "It's actually clear to me that the underlying dynamics in the caucus have not shifted with respect to seniority".

Second Trump administration

In February 2025, "border czar" Tom Homan called Ocasio-Cortez "the dumbest congresswoman ever" and accused her of "educat[ing] criminal illegal aliens" after her efforts to teach people their rights, separately suggesting that she could be "in trouble" legally. She responded by saying that "this is why you fight these cowards", arguing her efforts were protected under the Fourth Amendment.

In March 2025, Ocasio-Cortez spoke out against the federal budget proposal, saying it would empower Trump and Elon Musk, and urged Democrats to vote against it. When Schumer announced he would vote for the bill to avoid a government shutdown, she called it "a tremendous mistake" and criticized Senate Democrats for allowing it. Several House Democrats, including Ro Khanna, urged Ocasio-Cortez to challenge Schumer in the Democratic primary for the 2028 New York Senate elections.

Later that month, Ocasio-Cortez joined Sanders on the "Fighting Oligarchy Tour", giving speeches opposing Trump's policies in multiple cities. She said that Trump's tariff policy was "disastrous" and market manipulation, called Trump's immigration crackdown "authoritarian", criticized activist detentions, drew attention to economic inequality, and called for the "courage to brawl for the working class". Ocasio-Cortez became increasingly viewed as a possible successor to Sanders and a candidate for the 2028 presidential election. In the first quarter of 2025, she raised $9.6 million with an average donation of $21, more than she had ever received. In May 2025, Harris called her someone who was "speaking with moral clarity about this moment", Vice President JD Vance told Fox News that Ocasio-Cortez running for president was "the stuff of nightmares", and Trump said that she had charisma but questioned her debating skills. In June 2025, she endorsed Zohran Mamdani in the New York City Democratic mayoral primary. Politico described her endorsement as highly sought after among liberal Democrats nationwide and said that her reach had expanded since the last mayoral race.

Other issues

Ocasio-Cortez reacted to the 2021 Texas power crisis by organizing a fundraiser to provide food, water, and shelter to affected Texans. The fundraiser, which began on February 18, raised $2 million in its first day and $5 million by February 21. The money was given to organizations such as the Houston Food Bank and the North Texas Food Bank. Ocasio-Cortez also traveled to Houston to help volunteers with recovery.

On April 15, 2021, Ocasio-Cortez and three members of Congress held a press conference to announce a bill that they had introduced to implement postal banking pilot programs in rural and low-income urban neighborhoods where millions of households cannot access or afford standard banking services. Ocasio-Cortez described the families she sees in her urban community who need to rely on check-cashing companies that charge exorbitant interest rates due to the absence of mainstream banks. "They'll show up to a check cashing place and imagine cashing your stimulus check...and having 10 to 20% of that check taken away from you."

On November 5, 2021, Ocasio-Cortez was one of six House Democrats to break with their party and vote against the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, as it was decoupled from the social safety net provisions in the Build Back Better Act.

In September 2022, Ocasio-Cortez was asked about running for president. She said, "I hold two contradictory things [in mind] at the same time. One is just the relentless belief that anything is possible. But at the same time, my experience here has given me a front-row seat to how deeply and unconsciously, as well as consciously, so many people in this country hate women. And they hate women of color. People ask me questions about the future. And realistically, I can't even tell you if I'm going to be alive in September [of 2022]. And that weighs very heavily on me. And it's not just the right wing. Misogyny transcends political ideology: left, right, center."

In May 2023, Ocasio-Cortez was part of a bipartisan group, including Matt Gaetz, Brian Fitzpatrick, and Raja Krishnamoorthi, that introduced the "Bipartisan Restoring Faith in Government Act". The bill would bar members of Congress from owning or trading individual stocks. In 2025, she was one of 16 original cosponsors of the Restore Trust in Congress Act (H.R. 5106), introduced on September 3 by Chip Roy. As of July 2026, the bill had 128 cosponsors. It would ban members of Congress and their spouses and dependents from owning or trading individual stocks.

Committee assignments

Committee on Energy and Commerce (2025–present)

Subcommittee on Energy

Subcommittee on Health

Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations

Past committee assignments

Committee on Oversight and Accountability (2019–2025; vice ranking member, 2023–2025)

Committee on Financial Services (2019–2023)

Committee on Natural Resources (2023–2025)

Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources (ranking member, 2023–2025)

Caucus memberships

Ocasio-Cortez's caucus memberships include the House Pro-Choice Caucus, Democratic Women's Caucus, Congressional Hispanic Caucus, Congressional Progressive Caucus, Congressional Equality Caucus, Congressional Bangladesh Caucus, Congressional Labor Caucus, Congressional Albanian Issues Caucus, Sustainable Energy and Environment Coalition, Congressional Addiction Treatment and Recovery Caucus, Congressional Renters Caucus, Congressional Brazil Caucus, Medicare for All Caucus, and Quiet Skies Caucus. In May 2026, she co-founded and became a co-chair of the End Corruption Caucus with representatives Jason Crow and Mike Levin.

Political positions

Ocasio-Cortez has been described as progressive, left-wing, left-wing populist, and far-left.

Economic policy

Ocasio-Cortez has rejected state socialism, calling it "undemocratic" and "easily corrupted", and has argued from a liberal socialist framework in support of unionization and worker cooperatives. She has argued that free-market economies and democratic socialism are compatible, citing cooperatives as a model.

Ocasio-Cortez supports raising the marginal tax rate on top income earners to fund the implementation of her policy goals. She was among the 46 House Democrats who voted against final passage of the Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2023. Ocasio-Cortez has called for reducing defense spending. In December 2022, she was the only House Democrat to vote against an omnibus spending package because it increased funding for defense and federal agencies that oversee immigration.

In late 2020, Ocasio-Cortez and Rashida Tlaib proposed a public banking bill to encourage creation of state and local public banks by giving them access to facilities from the Federal Reserve and setting national guidelines on public banking. In April 2021, Ocasio-Cortez announced a bill that she and three senators had introduced to implement postal banking pilot programs in rural and low-income urban neighborhoods where millions of households cannot access or afford standard banking services.

Ocasio-Cortez has been a vocal supporter of labor rights, including a $15 hourly federal minimum wage. In May 2019, she returned to bartending at the Queensboro Restaurant in Jackson Heights, Queens, to promote the Raise the Wage Act, which would increase the minimum hourly wage for restaurant servers and other tipped workers from $2.13 to $15. Speaking to restaurant workers, customers, and reporters, she criticized an exemption in the U.S. minimum-wage law for restaurants and the service sector that allows them to be paid less than $7.25 per hour, saying, "Any job that pays $2.13 per hour is not a job, it is indentured servitude." On January 20, 2021, Ocasio-Cortez skipped the inauguration of Joe Biden to join the 2021 Hunts Point Produce Market strike in the Bronx.

In September 2019, Ocasio-Cortez introduced a poverty-reduction policy proposal (packaged in a bundle called "A Just Society") that would take into account the cost of childcare, health care, and "new necessities" like Internet access when measuring poverty. The proposal would cap annual rent increases and ensure access to social welfare programs for people with convictions and undocumented immigrants.

Environment

Ocasio-Cortez has called for "more environmental hardliners in Congress", calling climate change "the single biggest national security threat for the United States and the single biggest threat to worldwide industrialized civilization". Referring to a 2018 United Nations report indicating that the effects of climate change could become irreversible unless carbon emissions are reined in within 12 years of the report's publication, she has argued that global warming must be addressed immediately to avert human extinction.

Ocasio-Cortez's environmental plan, the Green New Deal, advocates for the United States to transition to an electrical grid running on 100% renewable energy and to end the use of fossil fuels within ten years. The changes, estimated to cost roughly $2.5 trillion per year, would be financed in part by higher taxes on the wealthy. She has said she has an open mind about nuclear power's role in the Green New Deal.

In 2024, Ocasio-Cortez, supported by Bowman and Sanders, introduced the "Green New Deal for Public Housing", a plan to fund the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) and help it transition to clean energy.

In 2026, Ocasio-Cortez partnered with More Perfect Union to film a documentary about reports of contaminated well water near a 2,500,000 sq ft (230,000 m2) Meta AI data center in Morgan County, Georgia, whose construction began in 2018. She suggested she was opposed to these data centers due to their environmental harm, saying she would support a national congressional inquiry and that some Morgan County residents had been forced to "ship water to their house [in a rural area] in order to cook and bathe themselves". She also said that AI data centers could adversely affect water supplies across entire states and criticized lobbyists who dismissed the problem as an "urban legend" or refused to acknowledge it. Locals said they had not had clean drinking water since construction of the data center began in 2018. To illustrate her concerns, Ocasio-Cortez brought two jars of dirty water from private citizens' wells in Morgan County to a hearing with United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) officials; after the hearing, EPA officials promised to investigate the issue.

Foreign policy

Ocasio-Cortez criticized the American companies Activision Blizzard and Apple for censoring pro-democracy protesters in Hong Kong. She co-signed a letter to Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick that read, "As China amplifies its campaign of intimidation, you and your company must decide whether to look beyond the bottom line and promote American values—like freedom of speech and thought—or to give in to Beijing's demands in order to preserve market access."

A bipartisan letter by Ocasio-Cortez and seven other lawmakers fiercely criticized the NBA's handling of a controversy involving a tweet by Houston Rockets general manager Daryl Morey supporting pro-democracy protesters in Hong Kong. The lawmakers wrote that the NBA's response not only "sold out an American citizen" but also "reinforces the Chinese Communist Party view that those who point to Chinese repression in Hong Kong are at best stating opinions, not facts", as well as being "a betrayal of fundamental American values".

Ocasio-Cortez voted to withdraw U.S. military support for the Saudi Arabian-led intervention in Yemen, and she was among 56 Democrats to vote in favor of H.Con.Res. 21, which directed President Joe Biden to remove U.S. troops from Syria within 180 days.

Ocasio-Cortez criticized the Trump administration for escalating tensions with Iran, saying it would bring the U.S. into a "military conflict that is completely irresponsible".

Ocasio-Cortez supported the Mahsa Amini protests, saying, "Mahsa Amini was senselessly murdered by the same patriarchal and autocratic forces repressing women the world over" and that the "right to choose belongs to us all, from hijabs to reproductive care".

In 2025, Ocasio-Cortez opposed American strikes on Iranian nuclear sites, calling them "absolutely and clearly grounds for impeachment".

Ocasio-Cortez supports a two-state solution and opposes the occupation of the West Bank. She was one of 17 representatives to vote against a resolution condemning the Global Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions Movement. She was also one of nine progressive Democrats to vote against a resolution that read "the State of Israel is not a racist or apartheid state" and "the United States will always be a staunch partner and supporter of Israel". In 2021, she said of Israel, "Apartheid states aren't democracies."

Governance

After the contentious confirmation of Supreme Court justice Amy Coney Barrett, Ocasio-Cortez urged Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden to expand the court if he won and their party achieved a Senate majority. In April 2021, she supported a bill to increase the Court's size. She again called for expansion in September 2021 after the Court voted not to grant an emergency stay of the Texas Heartbeat Act.

In March 2022, Ocasio-Cortez called on Justice Clarence Thomas to resign over his wife's texts urging President Trump's chief of staff to overturn the 2020 presidential election, raising a possible impeachment effort if he did not. After the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in June 2022, Ocasio-Cortez called for the impeachment of justices Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh. She alleged that the two had lied under oath about their views on Roe during their confirmation hearings.

In June 2022, after the Supreme Court made several consequential rulings and granted certiorari to Moore v. Harper, which could affect future elections, Ocasio-Cortez tweeted that the United States was "witnessing a judicial coup in progress". The next month, she claimed the Court had "gone rogue" and that impeachment, expansion, introduction of ethics rules and recusal requirements should be considered. She added that Thomas should certainly be impeached. Two days later, she led House progressives calling on the Democratic leadership in Congress to strip the Court of its jurisdiction "in the areas of abortion, marriage equality, non-procreative intimacy, and contraception". They pointed to Thomas's concurring opinion in Dobbs, which suggested revisiting cases that established a constitutional right to contraception, same-sex marriage, and gay sex.

In 2019, Ocasio-Cortez supported pay raises for Congress. She wrote, "It's not a fun or politically popular position to take. But consistency is important. ALL workers should get cost of living increases. That's why minimum wage should be pegged to inflation, too." Members of Congress make $174,000 annually; the speaker makes $223,500 and House leaders make $193,400. Republican Kevin McCarthy joined her in supporting the pay raise, saying he did not want Congress to be a place where only the wealthy can afford to serve. Colleagues such as Joe Cunningham opposed the measure, saying, "We didn't come up here to give ourselves a raise".

On June 28, 2018, Ocasio-Cortez told CNN she supported impeaching President Trump, citing Trump's alleged violations of the Emoluments Clause and saying, "we have to hold everyone accountable and that no person is above that law."

Health care

Ocasio-Cortez supports transitioning to a single-payer healthcare system and considers medical care a human right. She has said that a single government health insurer should cover every American, reducing overall costs. Her campaign website says, "Almost every other developed nation in the world has universal healthcare. It's time the United States catch up to the rest of the world in ensuring all people have real healthcare coverage that doesn't break the bank." Many 2020 Democratic presidential candidates adopted the Medicare-for-all proposal.

In June 2019 and July 2021, Ocasio-Cortez proposed legislation that would remove restrictions placed on researching the medical use of psilocybin.

In 2024, Ocasio-Cortez said of the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, "This is not to say that an act of violence is justified", adding, "people interpret and feel and experience denied claims as an act of violence against them".

Ocasio-Cortez is a vocal opponent of efforts to cut Medicaid. She said that a bill Republicans introduced would result in depriving 13.7 million people of Medicaid and create a situation where "once you are kicked off Medicaid, you then can't even buy your own health insurance", and that private health care premiums would "skyrocket". When Ocasio-Cortez raised concerns before the House Energy and Commerce Committee about the effects of the proposed work requirements on patients experiencing miscarriages or other medical emergencies, Representative Randy Weber told her to look toward Republicans rather than the camera. She replied, "There are 13.7 million Americans on the other side of that screen there", including in Republican districts, and "they deserve to see what is happening here". Weber then asked her to yield, to which she replied, "I will not yield because it was a terribly disrespectful comment, and I will not yield to disrespectful men".

Social issues

Ocasio-Cortez supports codifying the right to abortion and is a member of the House Pro-Choice Caucus. On July 19, 2022, after the Supreme Court overruled Roe v. Wade in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization, she and 17 other members of Congress were arrested in an act of civil disobedience for refusing to clear a street during a protest for reproductive rights outside the Supreme Court Building. Soon after, she appeared at a pro-choice rally in Union Square and recalled being raped in her early 20s and taking a pregnancy test shortly afterward and thinking "thank God I have at least a choice" while waiting for the result.

Ocasio-Cortez campaigned in favor of establishing tuition-free public colleges and trade schools. She has said she is still paying off student loans herself and wants to cancel all student debt.

Ocasio-Cortez has expressed support for defunding and abolishing the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency on multiple occasions. In February 2018 she called it "a product of the Bush-era Patriot Act suite of legislation" and "an enforcement agency that takes on more of a paramilitary tone every single day". That June, she said she would "stop short of fully disbanding the agency", and would rather "create a pathway to citizenship for more immigrants through decriminalization". She later clarified that this does not mean ceasing all deportations. Two days before the primary election, Ocasio-Cortez attended a protest at an ICE child-detention center in Tornillo, Texas. She was the only Democrat to vote against H.R. 648, a bill to fund and reopen the government, because it funded ICE.

In June 2019, Ocasio-Cortez compared the detention centers for undocumented immigrants under the Trump administration at the Mexico–United States border to "concentration camps". She cited "expert analysis", linking to an Esquire article quoting Andrea Pitzer, author of One Long Night: A Global History of Concentration Camps, who had made a similar claim. Some academics supported Ocasio-Cortez's use of the term for the forced detention of immigrants; others strongly criticized it, saying it showed disrespect for Holocaust victims. In response to criticism from both Republicans and Democrats, Ocasio-Cortez said they had conflated concentration camps ("the mass detention of civilians without trial") with death camps. She refused to apologize for using the term: "If that makes you uncomfortable, fight the camps, not the nomenclature."

Electoral history

Awards and honors

The MIT Lincoln Laboratory named the asteroid 23238 Ocasio-Cortez after her when she was a senior in high school in recognition of her second-place finish in the 2007 Intel International Science and Engineering Fair. Ocasio-Cortez was named the 2017 National Hispanic Institute Person of the Year by Ernesto Nieto. In 2019, Ocasio-Cortez received the Adelle Foley Award. She was named one of the BBC 100 Women of 2019. In 2019, she co-wrote and narrated the short film A Message from the Future; it was nominated for an award at the 41st News and Documentary Emmy Awards.

Personal life

After the death of Ocasio-Cortez's father in 2008, her mother and grandmother moved to Florida due to financial hardship. She still has family in Puerto Rico, where her grandfather was living in a nursing home before he died in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria. Ocasio-Cortez has said that "to be Puerto Rican is to be the descendant of ... African Moors [and] slaves, Taino Indians, Spanish colonizers, Jewish refugees, and likely others. We are all of these things and something else all at once—we are Boricua." She has said that her family has Sephardic Jewish ancestry.

Ocasio-Cortez is a Catholic. She discussed her faith and its impact on her life and her campaign for criminal justice reform in a 2018 article she wrote for America, the magazine of the Jesuit order in the United States.

Ocasio-Cortez began dating Riley Roberts while they were both attending Boston University. They broke up after graduating, but later rekindled their relationship. Roberts moved to New York City to be with her and the couple lived in a one-bedroom apartment in Parkchester, the Bronx. In January 2020, they acquired a French Bulldog named Deco, after the Art Deco movement. Ocasio-Cortez and Roberts became engaged in Puerto Rico in April 2022. The couple ended their engagement in 2024.

In May 2025, it was reported that Ocasio-Cortez lived in East Elmhurst, Queens. In August 2026, she announced that she intended to freeze her eggs and began documenting the process on Instagram to educate women about their reproductive options.

Based on her 2018 financial disclosure, OpenSecrets estimated that Ocasio-Cortez had a net worth of no more than $30,000, placing her among the least wealthy members of the 116th Congress.

In February 2021, Ocasio-Cortez said that earlier in her life she had been sexually assaulted. In 2022, she elaborated that, when she was 22 or 23, she had been raped by a man she was dating at the time and that the assault had been "pivotal" in leading her to run for office, though she did not realize that at the time. She said she did not report the assault to police and that the man later denied raping her when she confronted him about the incident.