Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez's Victory And Other Primary Night Surprises

As vote tallies came in from Tuesday’s primaries, the president found cause to celebrate.

Wow! Big Trump Hater Congressman Joe Crowley, who many expected was going to take Nancy Pelosi's place, just LOST his primary election. In other words, he's out! That is a big one that nobody saw happening. Perhaps he should have been nicer, and more respectful, to his President!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 27, 2018

But Crowley lost the primary for the district that covers parts of Queens and the Bronx to Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who isn’t likely to be any friendlier to President Trump.

“I would support impeachment.. ultimately what we need to focus on is when people potentially break the law … that no one is above the law,” Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who dispatched Joe Crowley, says to @PoppyHarlowCNN

— Manu Raju (@mkraju) June 27, 2018

As NPR reports:

Ocasio-Cortez, 28, a former organizer for Bernie Sanders’ presidential campaign and a one-time staffer for the late Sen. Ted Kennedy, ran on an unalloyed leftist progressive platform, calling for a “political revolution” that includes Medicare and higher education for all, gun control measures, an end to private prisons and the abolition of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency (ICE).

Ocasio-Cortez’s victory was an upset, and it has prompted discussions about why there hasn’t been more coverage of candidates running to the left of centrist Democrats.

https://t.co/9EjYhKDYs5

Kind of pisses me off that @nytimes is still asking Who Is Ocasio-Cortez? when it should have covered her campaign. Missing her rise akin to not seeing Trump’s win coming in 2016.

— Jill Abramson (@JillAbramson) June 27, 2018

Elsewhere in the primaries, former Massachusetts governor and presidential candidate Mitt Romney won his primary for one of Utah’s seats in the U.S. Senate.

What do these races say about the left, the right, and how Congress might look after November?

GUESTS

Ron Elving, Senior editor and correspondent, NPR; @nprrelving

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