AOC’s constituents weigh in on presidential run, recall her stunning 2018 political upset

Constituents in Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s New York territory are informing Republicans not to underestimate the firebrand progressive lawmaker who caused a sensational governmental upset successful 2018 – arsenic rumors swirl astir the four-term congresswoman moving for president successful 2028.

Ocasio-Cortez hosted a municipality hallway successful New York City connected Friday successful the aforesaid vicinity wherever she unseated longtime Democratic Rep. Joe Crowley to go the nation's youngest congresswoman.

Against each likelihood and with small money, her spectacular triumph sent shockwaves done the Democratic Party arsenic she efficaciously ended the governmental vocation of Crowley, who astatine that constituent was a 10-term incumbent and eyeing being the adjacent House speaker. 

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Constituents in Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s territory weighed successful connected a imaginable statesmanlike bid. Ocasio-Cortez, left. On the close side: Mark LaVergne, apical left, Szewczuk, apical right, Aleks Itskovich, bottommost left, and Andrew Sokolof Diaz, bottommost right.  (David Dee Delgado/Getty Images, left, Michael DorganFox News Digital, right. )

Some governmental observers accidental Crowley took Ocasio-Cortez for granted, portion her constituents judge attaining the nation’s highest bureau is not beyond her grasp. Fast-forward to 2025 and Ocasio-Cortez has go 1 of the biggest voices successful a enactment yearning for governmental leadership. 

The immense turnouts for her "Fight Oligarchy" circuit events alongside Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., has fueled speculation she has capable momentum to motorboat a statesmanlike bid, portion she has besides raked successful $9.6 cardinal successful the archetypal 3 months of the year, beating her ain grounds fundraising haul. 

Mark LaVergne, who’s an autarkic and was extracurricular Ocasio-Cortez’s municipality hallway but did not attend, told Fox News Digital that helium believes she has a winning personality.

"Don't underestimate her. I mean, that was the mistake Joe Crowley and his radical made 7 years ago," LaVergne said. "They underestimated her. That was a fatal mistake."

Andrew Sokolof Diaz said Ocasio-Cortez’s popularity appears to beryllium increasing and said it would beryllium an grant to ballot for her.

"Absolutely, we basal with her. I deliberation she perfectly has the support, not lone present successful her district, but she has the enactment nationally, possibly adjacent internationally, to tally for president." Sokolof Diaz said.

Ocasio-Cortez and Sen. Bernie Sanders participated successful a halt connected the "Fighting Oligarchy" circuit astatine the Dignity Health Arena, Theater successful Bakersfield, California, connected April 15, 2025. (REUTERS/Aude Guerrucci)

Aleks Itskovich, who traveled from Brooklyn and moved to the U.S. from Russia erstwhile helium was 3 years old, said helium was inspired by the "Fight Oligarchy" circuit and said it proves she connects with the mean person.

"It goes backmost to the authenticity," Itskovich said. "I deliberation that she's capable to travel crossed arsenic a genuine idiosyncratic that is capable to transmission people's concerns straight and consciousness relatable, honest, that she's not coming from the 1%. She’s 1 of the astir palmy politicians of this generation, truthful I privation to support seeing however that goes."

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However, not each were keen connected the imaginable move, with Woodside nonmigratory Mary Madden saying she felt Ocasio-Cortez is excessively young, portion John Szewczuk, who has lived successful Jackson Heights for 44 years, said she whitethorn beryllium excessively near helping to triumph the presidency outright, but helium would inactive backmost her.

About 450 radical packed into a section schoolhouse auditorium to perceive Ocasio-Cortez speech astir a big of issues ranging from section concerns astir a large casino to nationalist issues similar Medicaid and the Trump administration's wide deportation efforts. Long lines extracurricular the determination caused the lawsuit to beryllium delayed for astir 20 minutes portion those who couldn’t get successful were shuffled into an overflow country crossed the hall.

Inside, attendees gave Ocasio-Cortez a rousingly lukewarm reception and appeared afloat supportive of her legislative docket and her practice of the territory to date. Many questions from the assemblage centered astir section issues, calls for a minimum wage hike, however to amended aerial quality, arsenic good arsenic asking her however she plans connected tackling the Trump administration. 

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez's municipality hallway successful Queens connected May 2, 2025, was packed with 450 people, much were successful an overflow country crossed the hall. (Michael Dorgan/Fox News Digital)

The loudest applause came erstwhile Ocasio-Cortez voiced her absorption to a projected caller casino successful Queens, which would beryllium portion of caller sports and amusement park. The $8 cardinal task is being spearheaded by New York Mets’ billionaire proprietor Steve Cohen and has gotten support from the New York City Council. The congresswoman admitted, however, she doesn’t person a accidental successful the substance since it’s a authorities contented and not successful her district.

Applause besides rang retired erstwhile Ocasio-Cortez dared borderline czar Tom Homan to apprehension her aft he previously threatened to notation her to the Justice Department for giving proposal to migrants connected however to debar being deported.    

The municipality hallway went disconnected without a hitch but for an aboriginal disruption by a protester who heckled astatine Ocasio-Cortez astir the warfare successful Israel. She was past removed. 

The municipality hallway took spot successful a leafy conception of Jackson Heights, known for its beardown progressive leanings. A large avenue adjacent to the schoolhouse was precocious transformed into an "open street," wherever postulation was substantially reduced to make much nationalist abstraction for pedestrians, cyclists and assemblage use.

"I emotion it, it's a large neighborhood, it is precise diverse, astir apt 1 of the astir divers successful the world," Szewczuk said.

Ocasio-Cortez speaks astatine the municipality hallway connected May 2, 2025, successful New York City. Attendees weighed successful connected a statesmanlike bid.  (David Dee Delgado/Getty Images)

Conversely, the schoolhouse is astir 3 blocks distant from the Roosevelt Avenue commercialized strip, which has go notorious for its open-air enactment workers, trash-filled streets, crime, drugs and anti-social behavior.

Roosevelt Avenue runs on the confederate borderline of Ocasio-Cortez’s 14th District, and the portion is shared by Rep. Grace Meng. Fox News Digital observed astatine slightest 30 prostitutes soliciting enactment on 1 artifact of Roosevelt Avenue astir an hr aft the municipality hallway finished. 

Some sidewalks on the squalid portion are hard to navigate fixed the sheer fig of radical – galore of whom are migrants – selling blistery food, effect and vegetables, counterfeit goods and what appeared to beryllium stolen goods.   

Ocasio-Cortez ne'er mentioned the strip, nor did immoderate attendee inquire astir it successful the question and answers section. While each questions were submitted successful beforehand and Ocasio-Cortez near retired a broadside doorway the infinitesimal the lawsuit ended, it appeared it was mode down successful the database of priorities for those successful attendance. 

Sex workers and constabulary connected Roosevelt Avenue successful 2024. (Michael Dorgan/Fox News Digital, left, Hiram Monserrate, right; Ian Forsyth/Getty Images, inset.)

Sokolof Diaz and Szewczuk said it’s connected section politicians to bash more, portion LaVergne said that Ocasio-Cortez has failed the vicinity successful that respect. LaVergne said helium was besides inactive aggravated that she helped halt Amazon opening a monolithic office successful Queens a fewer years ago.

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"I consciousness precise sad. Sometimes you locomotion by, there's a Dunkin' Donuts I predominant connected Roosevelt and 82nd St., and I noticed that supra that, determination is immoderate benignant of happening going on. And I spot the look successful the eyes of these enactment workers," LaVergne said. 

"I truly consciousness atrocious for them. Some of them are present astir apt nether hard situations. Maybe they were forced here, possibly they're forced to bash this benignant of work. You've got to instrumentality attraction of the radical that'll get you elected. I mean, that conscionable seems similar the astir conscionable thing. That's justice. Taking attraction of the radical who got you elected."