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WICHITA, Kan. – Far from the five boroughs of New York, an emerging star of the insurgent left carried his message to the center – with a little help from his socialist friend.
Less than four weeks after marking a stunning reversal In a Democratic primary, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez entered for the first time on the national campaign scene on Friday, joining the left-wing white lion on the far left , Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont, here for one of two Kansas rallies
She drew the shouts and cheers of a crowd who was curious to know that the New Yorker insurgent was headed to the political establishment. "Change takes courage," she said in a crowded auditorium. "Change takes courage."
"What you have shown me, and what we will show in the Bronx, is that Kansas workers share the same values - the same values - as workers elsewhere." "Wherever there are working-class people, there is hope for the progressive movement."
It was a message that had led Ms. Ocasio-Cortez, 28, to New York and who ensured his election to Congress. highly democratic district in Queens and the Bronx. And whether the politicians of the establishment want it or not, Mrs Ocasio-Cortez, a Socialist Democrat, is now rushing to pass on her uncompromising left-wing message to other parts of the country.
On Friday, she shared the energy with the veteran Mr. Sanders, who was following her on the stage with deafening acclaim, telling the crowd: "Whether you live in Vermont, the Bronx or Kansas, we share common hopes and aspirations that are far greater than the superficial differences that separate us. "
But even those who came mainly to see Mr. Sanders were aware of Mrs. Ocasio-Cortez and her message. Many had seen on social media and television and said that they were inspired by his youth and his energy.
Nicholas Beddow, 25, a preschool teacher wearing a vintage "Bernie for President" t-shirt, said that he had not heard of Ms. Ocasio-Cortez until That she won her primary, but now was a deep-throat supporter. "She is very strong," he says.
The fact that she's young, he says, "carries the progressive message further."
He said that he felt that the message could resonate even in one area. "I think we can give him a blue loop right in the middle."
It might be difficult to sell in a state that did not send a Democrat to Congress in a decade. But Ms. Ocasio-Cortez and Mr. Sanders campaigned here and in Kansas City, Kan, on Friday, in support of two House candidates, Brent Welder and James Thompson, who are leading progressive, grassroots campaigns in Democratic districts hoping snatch Republicans. She also plans layovers in the coming days in Missouri and Michigan
. The trip to Kansas is also a critical test of whether she and her brand of Bronx-born Democratic Socialism resonate in the heart of the country – and whether she overrides it
In the weeks following her first victory, Ms. Ocasio-Cortez publicly approved a large number of candidates across the country. On Twitter and in interviews, she has championed a progressive political agenda that includes health insurance for all, a public college without tuition, the end of private prisons and the abolition of the law. Immigration and Customs Agency
. she also revealed her inexperience. She provoked outrage at Israel's "occupation" of Palestine, later saying that she was "not an expert in geopolitics on this issue." She incorrectly said that unemployment was low because "everyone has two jobs". On Saturday, in a move that may alienate Democrats in the House even before she arrives on the Capitol, she plans to campaign in St. Louis with Cori Bush, who is running to overthrow the Representative William Lacy Clay, a popular democrat to nine Yet his appearance in Kansas alongside Mr. Sanders was the clearest indication that she considered herself one of the next ambassadors for progressivism – and that the far-left Democrats, at least, saw her as a key player in the party's effort to take back the house.
"There was a better way to say that it's the highest, the best, the # 1 event we've had, I would," says Mr. Thompson in an interview the day before Friday's rally. If candidates can show that even Kansas "can be changed according to progressive principles," he added, "then it's possible anywhere."
Conservatives of the state took note of support for progressive ideas that Ms. Ocasio-Cortez and Mr. Sanders defended. Earlier this week Mr. Trump tweeted support for Mr. Welder's Republican opponent, Kevin Yoder. And Mr. Thompson's opponent, Ron Estes, the incumbent, sounded the alarm on the Wichita rally even as it unfolded.
"Right now, Bernie Sanders and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez are organizing a Wichita rally for Kansas Democrats," he wrote in an email to supporters, "Their goal is ambitious, extreme and dangerous."
Despite all the enthusiasm surrounding Ms. Ocasio-Cortez, many Democrats from the establishment have inherited the idea that the far-left ideas championed by her and Mr. Sanders represent the party's position, and they reject the idea that last October's victory over Joseph Crowley, the fourth Democrat in the House of Representatives, of Mrs. Ocasio-Cortez signaled a fundamental dissatisfaction with the party's aging rulers
The meteoric rise of Ocasio-Cortez also exposed party divisions on whether insurgent candidates can win victories across the country in general elections, against republics.
In a Wall Street Journal editorial this week, Joseph I. Lieberman, the former Democrat turned Independent Senator of Connecticut, urged voters to vote for Mr. Crowley on a third-party line instead Mrs. Ocasio-Cortez because, he says, his policies were too far left.
the November election would make it more difficult for the Congress to stop fighting and start solving problems, "he wrote
Some political strategists wonder if the presence of Ms. Ocasio -Create in the districts will distance the voters.
"I hope that she will keep an eye on the critical need to elect a Democratic majority in the House to stop Donald Trump and allow and trust candidates to carry out their campaigns." a way that results in the majority We need it, "said Steve Israel, former chairman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee and long-time New York representative," She has an important role to play in the progressive districts. and with the basic constituents she absolutely needs, but a message that resonates in some districts may seem out of tune in others. "
But supporters of Ms. Ocasio-Cortez's democratic socialism especially Optimism – in it, in its star power, in the progressive message generally – since its victory. They note that Mr. Sanders won the 2016 presidential primaries in Kansas and Michigan and hope to be able to rely on this energy.
They also point to the fact that many Democratic candidates have adopted key elements of the progressive political agenda, including health insurance. Even the progressive Working Families Party, which has approved Mr. Crowley in the primary, is now seated behind Ms. Ocasio-Cortez.
"She is an unusually talented and attractive messenger for this is a great moment," said Dan Cantor, the party's longtime leader, who is now the chairman of his national committee. "She is a symbol of generational change, of the rise of women in American politics and of openness to progressive multiracial populism. "
" I am embarrassed that we have not seen it coming ", a- he said., "But we have approved Alexandria now."
For his part, Mr. Sanders said that he sees the success of Ms. Ocasio-Cortez, as well as that of other progressives like Ben Jealous – a former NAACP leader who won the Democratic primary last month for the governor of Maryland – as proof that his progressive message is not only spreading, but winning. (Although he has approved M Jealous before his primary, he did not approve Mrs. Ocasio-Cortez.) [19659002] Her swing with Ms. Ocasio-Cortez across Kansas came organically, according to a person familiar with the decision process, after they realized that they were both interested in going to the state for support the candidates there. Both were eager to show that a message that works in Burlington, Vermont and New York can also work in a red state.
The same goes for Michigan, where Ms. Ocasio-Cortez will campaign next weekend with Abdul El-Seyed, a former director of the Detroit Health Department, who is running for governor. Inspired by his message and campaign style, Dr. El-Sayed first contacted Ms. Ocasio-Cortez on Twitter. He now hopes to be able one day to tell his girl the evening "Auntie Alexandria" won in New York.
"The victory of Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is a validation point," he said in an interview. "She showed us how it's done."
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