Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Makes Her First House Endorsement Against Democratic Incumbent

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) on Tuesday announced her first endorsement of a 2020 congressional primary challenger over a Democratic incumbent, throwing her high-profile support behind Marie Newman’s bid to unseat Rep. Dan Lipinski of Illinois.

Newman, who is backed by Justice Democrats, the progressive group that helped elect Ocasio-Cortez in 2018, challenged conservative-leaning Lipinski for Illinois’s 3rd Congressional District seat last year, but lost by about 2,000 votes. The eight-term House member is one of the few Democrats with a record of opposing abortion rights and discrimination protections for LGBTQ people.