Run on Behalf of the People, and You Can Get Elected
So Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez beat the odds and won the primary from incumbent Joe Crowley . While everyone from CNN to Fox News tries to make this about Ocasio-Cortez's age, gender, race or experience, I believe it came down to two important things: (1) she currently lives in the district than she was running for (Crowley is currently residing in Virginia) and (2) she was running on a populist platform. The second point will most likely be overlooked by the pundits and even some self-proclaimed left-leaning groups, mainly because Crowley was in line to replace Nancy Pelosi (if/when she retired) as one of the major mover and shakers of the Democratic Party. But no one should dismiss that because Ocasio-Cortez kept on message and funneled her progressive policies through populist lenses (people forget that Trump also ran on a populist message) she was able to make inroads and get votes that normal newcomers usually fail to acquire.