The New Face of the Left in America

In recent months, America welcomed a new face to the political scene which quickly drew the attention of media and political commentators. As you may have guessed, I’m talking about Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez. The young ambitious Latina woman has become one of the most discussed political phenomena since she ran for Congress.

Voters reacted to the appearance of Ocasio-Cortez in two quite opposite ways. Among the conservative public, she had the reputation of a person who was unknowledgeable, gave highly incompetent speeches, manipulated data and simply lied. Consequently, her political potential has been largely underestimated. On the other hand, the left embraced her presence on a strongly positive note, and many even have hastened to proclaim her the new face of the left. The polarization of the opinion makes it important to analyze the following questions:

Is it possible for Ocasio-Cortez to become the new face of the Democratic Party?

The lack of strong recognizable new figures within the Democratic Party became evident during the last presidential campaign. Both 2016 candidates, Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders, had been fixtures on the political spectrum for quite some time, and were considerably older. The absence of a charismatic new face, a role previously assumed by Barack Obama, was one of the reasons the Democrats lost the 2016 election, and it was a reason for the tension within the party that started shortly after the loss.

The fresh face of a young leader with a record of achievement is exactly what the Democratic Party needs. The fact that Ocasio-Cortez is also a woman and a Latina is really important to Democrats, whose promise for the electorate is inclusion, and who don’t typically applaud white men entering the political scene.

How much weight does Ocasio-Cortez have in the House of Representatives?

After she won a seat for the Democrats and before her dazzling entrance in the House, there were expectations that the young Latina woman would quickly assume an influential role on an important House committee. Well, that has not happened, and many analysts and commentators too quickly saw this as proof of her insignificance.

In fact, there are reasons that she was not given access to an influential post. In the first place, she indeed lacks experience. Despite holding a bachelor’s degree in international relations and economics, she is just 29 and has no expertise in any specific area or any extensive involvement in national politics. Each one of those factors is enough to get her seated at the sidelines in the House; the three together are indeed a barrier.

Then, what factors will decide her future?

The 2020 presidential election is key. If Donald Trump wins again and stays in the White House, the leadership of the Democratic party will face growing pressure from its younger members, whose ambitions are partially impeded by the more established and better positioned senior elements within the party. It is by now evident that Ocasio-Cortez will be among the key figures that will shape that pressure.

And, when it comes to internal Democratic Party matters, the influence of African-Americans, Latinos and other non-white voters will certainly be on the rise. In this respect, the racial identity of Ocasio-Cortez is a big plus.

Besides, the hopes of Republican supporters that her incompetence will be enough to marginalize her are not realistic. Competence is rarely determinative when it comes to influencing voters’ decisions. Personal charisma, overall attitude and the expectations such attitude sets off are of much greater importance. Ocasio-Cortez has done enough to show that in this realm, her potential is nothing short of substantial.