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A few minutes after starting her acceptance speech on the night of the election, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, the newly elected Queens congressman, was surprised to hear moans.
"Whoa – the coin turned quickly," joked Mrs. Ocasio-Cortez.
She and all the attendants in the room had noticed news that had crossed one of the giant screens above the crowd: the Democrats had narrowly lost the race in the Senate in Texas. Ms. Ocasio-Cortez gave an update on the state of mind of the crowd and spoke again.
"What we need to do too, is understand that these short-term losses do not mean that we have lost in the long run," she said.
This is a theme that Ms. Ocasio-Cortez evoked in her nearly 15-minute speech at her victory party in Queens. She promised to change, not just the Democratic Party, but politics in Washington, rather than let the status quo change it.
Ocasio-Cortez, 29, became the youngest woman elected to the US House of Representatives. a meteoric rise for someone who started the year as a bartender at a Union Square restaurant.
After upset Rep. Joseph Crowley at the 14th Congressional District Primary, which includes neighborhoods in Queens and the Bronx, Ocasio-Cortez became an instant star of the Democratic Party, touring the country to help like-minded progressives , candidates; Mrs Ocasio-Cortez, a democratic socialist, became a man of nothing for the conservatives, who threw themselves on all perceived imperfections or possible inaccuracies.
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But after her victory, Ms. Ocasio-Cortez must now face the challenge of using her voice and her star power to make changes to the Democratic Party, and to help define a policy without asking questions to most members of the House appointed for the first time do.
"There are so many people who know that we are going into the lion's den, even within the party," Ocasio-Cortez said in an interview this week.
She said voters have often approached to talk about some of these challenges. "We know how pressure you are going to be in, even within your party," she said, echoing voters' comments. "We know you're going to be under pressure to line up. If you like it, do not do it.
Ms. Ocasio-Cortez stated that fighting to change the Democratic Party will be more difficult than the battle against President Trump and the Republicans.
When asked why, Ms. Ocasio-Cortez refused to be more specific, perhaps understanding the need for pragmatism to try to forge alliances with Democrats. She has spoken extensively about "systemic issues that affect our democracy in general," such as money in politics and disparities between the rich and the poor.
However, Ms Ocasio-Cortez said she could continue to support progressive candidates for Democratic ruling candidates, a practice that has upset some national Democratic leaders. "It's a little case-by-case," she said.
Ms. Ocasio-Cortez may be preparing to fight, but some colleagues are waiting for a friendly relationship.
Representative Carolyn Maloney of Manhattan, who defeated a young insurgent challenger at the primary, said she was considering organizing a luncheon with Ms. Ocasio-Cortez and two newly elected Senators, Jessica Ramos and Julia Salazar. "Who, I think, are going to be fabulous," said Maloney. "We will work together."
Representative Adriano Espaillat of Upper Manhattan, a former undocumented resident who prioritized immigration reform, agreed with Ocasio-Cortez's assessment of intra-party fighting.
"Even some of your friends, who you consider somewhat liberal, may have difficulty with some of these immigration issues," he said. "For me, it's hard to accept that the whole party does not join the dreamers or the separated families.
"So, it takes me further to the left when I see that," he added.
Supporters of Mrs. Ocasio-Cortez's election night said they were attracted to her campaign because she was outspoken. They hoped that this attitude would continue in power.
"Even if Democrats win, Alexandria is a minority," said Hawk Newsome, founder of Black Lives Matter of Greater New York, because she is more progressive than her colleagues. "She's here to change the way things are done."
Mr. Newsome said that he hoped that Ms. Ocasio-Cortez would criticize her Democratic colleagues in the House, like Nancy Pelosi, the leader of the Democratic Party in the House – and that Ms. Ocasio-Cortez did not committed to support – and senior senator from New York, Chuck Schumer, who heads Democrats in the Senate.
Ms. Ocasio-Cortez stated that on Monday she had spoken with Ms. Pelosi, who had not directly solicited support for her campaign to be re-elected Speaker of the House.
Ms. Ocasio-Cortez said she recently met or exchanged phone calls with several members of the New York delegation. All were hospitable and full of advice on how to prepare for Washington.
"It's really like a high school orientation," said Ocasio-Cortez. "It's as if you choose your committees in the same way that you choose your courses. And people ask, for example, little logistical things like "Where are you going to live?"
No decision there yet, she says. "Honestly, I was so focused today that I do not try to count my chickens before they hatch."
Ms. Ocasio-Cortez said the transition period would be "very unusual because I can not really take a salary. I have three months without pay before being a congressman. So, how can I get an apartment? These little things are real. She said she had saved money before leaving her restaurant job and that she had planned accordingly with her partner. "We are sort of dealing with the day-to-day logistics, but I really started running, hoping it will take me to January."
Ms. Ocasio-Cortez said that she would not attend a post-election popular meeting that will begin Friday and that will draw many Democratic politicians from New York to Puerto Rico, due to a conflict with the orientation. new members of Congress. And, as she said, "I need it for a minute."
The campaign assistants are focused on the careful management of Ms. Ocasio-Cortez's time, in response to the enormous amount of obligations imposed on her by the media in recent months.
She has also had a regular presence on social media, where she has more than one million followers. This will probably continue, with all his appearances in Queens and the Bronx. Ms. Ocasio-Cortez said it was essential to meet people in person, for handshakes, selfies and conversations.
"It's not just a photo opportunity," she said. "People tell you things. And they tell you what they believe. And they tell you what they want for themselves, for you, they tell you their stories. "
