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The Remaking of A.O.C.

On the Hill, which is filled with gossips and more gossips, observers are trying to decipher A.O.C.’s strategy.
On the Hill, which is filled with gossips and more gossips, observers are trying to decipher A.O.C.’s strategy. Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images
Tara Palmeri
March 13, 2023

At this point, the legend of Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is part of the political-pop culture fabric of our times—she was the bartending, student-loan obligated underdog who shocked Joe Crowley and the Democratic establishment, stared down the D.C.C.C., led the next-gen ambitions of The Squad, flexed her juice to Nancy Pelosi, and became a Met Gala sensation, cover star, and arguably one of the most recognizable people in the country, mostly before her 30th birthday.

In her earliest years on Capitol Hill, A.O.C. has contained multitudes. She was a #resistance hero, an inspiration, a right-wing target and trigger, and a veritable power center all her own. And yet, amid the chaos of the Trump years, she also posed a material challenge to leadership, a frustration to Democrats who wanted to stay united above all, and a font of vexation to policy wonks, who viewed her Green New Deal as the most well-known non-binding resolution of all time.