AMY GOODMAN: Alexandria, your victory is being called the biggest upset of the Democratic Party this election season. You are rocking this country. What do you say to the Democratic leadership and to President Trump, who tweeted, "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!" Certainly not what you were.
ALEXANDRIA OCASIO-CORTEZ: No, no. And I think -- you know, I try not to engage in president tweet talk, but what I will say is that he's probably in more trouble now. So, that's as far as that goes. As far as the party, I think that this is a really profound and amazing opportunity for us to really refocus on the needs of working-class Americans and the most vulnerable in the United States, because when we stand up for them, then they will stand up for themselves, and we will all -- you know, we will all have a collective power back --
AMY GOODMAN: Just to clarify, you --
ALEXANDRIA OCASIO-CORTEZ: -- and we will return that collective power.
AMY GOODMAN: You said that Crowley participated in a debate with you. Across the corporate networks, they're saying that he refused -- he didn't show up at a debate. Was that a second debate?
ALEXANDRIA OCASIO-CORTEZ: That's right. Yeah, he did not show up to the initial debate. There were three local community debates. He had skipped the first two. And after an editorial from The New York Times kind of speaking to that, he did show up for the very last one, maybe a couple days before the election.
AMY GOODMAN: We want to thank you very much for being with us. We know you are on a very busy schedule right now.
ALEXANDRIA OCASIO-CORTEZ: Yeah.
AMY GOODMAN: What message do you have to candidates around the country and to people in this country -- Democrat, Republican, Socialist, Green, independent -- as you --
ALEXANDRIA OCASIO-CORTEZ: Absolutely.
AMY GOODMAN: -- come out of this primary victory?
ALEXANDRIA OCASIO-CORTEZ: Well, I think that our democracy is opening right now and that the possibility for any candidate, especially those that are not accepting corporate funds, as -- frankly, many different parties, there's a great moment in our country right now, and that to keep pushing, even when things seem like such a long shot, to at least stick it through and see it through Election Day, because, truly, honestly, anything can happen.
AMY GOODMAN: Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, 28-year-old Democratic Socialist, who beat out 10-term incumbent Congressmember Joe Crowley in New York. This is an upset that has been rocking the country, the biggest upset in this election season.
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