AOC cruises to victory in re-election campaign against far-right challenger

Voters in New York have re-elected US Rep Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who easily defeated her Republican challenger to represent a newly redrawn New York City district spanning the Bronx and Queens.The progressive congresswoman was first elected to the US House of Representatives in 2018, becoming the youngest person elected to Congress at the time. She cruised to victory in biennial House elections in 2020 and again in 2022, according to projections from the Associated Press.This year, she faced GOP challenger Tina Forte, a prominent right-wing influencer who promoted QAnon slogans, shared bogus conspiracy theories about the 2020 presidential election and livestreamed herself among the crowds outside the US Capitol on 6 January, 2021.Since entering office, the 33-year-old congresswoman popularly known as AOC has endured a wave of attacks from Republican officials and right-wing media as her international profile as a skillful communicator and fundraiser has surged alongside her popularity on social media and with her constituents.Her small-dollar campaign fundraising haul topped more than $11m this cycle.Due to recent redistricting in the state, after a combative reshaping of the state’s political boundaries, more than a half million New Yorkers lost and gained the congresswoman as a representative this year. Changes to the state’s congressional map this year have impacted roughly 3 million New Yorkers.Redistricting in Queens and the Bronx has cut roughly 300,000 people from out of the district, though the district gained roughly 330,000 others within the new boundaries.The district represents nearly 700,000 people.As a member of the so-called progressive ‘squad’ in Congress, the congresswoman has advocated for Medicare for All, a Green New Deal, housing justice, criminal justice and immigration reform, student loan debt cancellation and abortion rights, among other issues on her progressive platform. She also sits on the House financial services and oversight committees, as well as a select committee on economic disparity and fairness in growth.On her popular Instagram, she often highlights district issues, local businesses and organisers, hosts question-and-answer sessions, and offers a behind-the-scenes view of electoral politics, from explaining how Congress works to cooking dinner while arguing for cannabis legalisation.