Ocasio-Cortez to visit Capitol Hill next week

New York congressional candidate Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D) will meet with a handful of her early supporters in Washington, D.C., next week, making her first trek to Capitol Hill since her stunning primary victory over Rep. Joseph Crowley (D-N.Y.).

Ocasio-Cortez, a 28-year-old Latina and self-described democratic socialist, is slated to meet with both lawmakers and outside groups that supported her upstart congressional campaign early on in the process, according to a source familiar with the matter.

“The purpose of the trip is to gain insight from our friends with similar visions for America, especially those with different perspectives and experiences,” the source said.

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Ocasio-Cortez has quickly become a rising star in the party and has dominated national headlines after defeating Crowley, the House’s No. 4 Democrat, who had ambitions of becoming Speaker one day.

One of the lawmakers Ocasio-Cortez will sit down with next week is Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.), a Bay Area liberal who took some heat for his dual endorsement of both Ocasio-Cortez and Crowley.

Ocasio-Cortez, who made rejecting corporate PAC money a major part of her campaign, sent a fundraising email to her supporters last week urging them to donate to Khanna’s campaign. Like Ocasio-Cortez, Khanna also unseated a House Democrat in 2016 and refuses to take any corporate PAC money.

“Before we won our primary on Tuesday, only ONE member of Congress acknowledged my existence: Ro Khanna,” Ocasio-Cortez wrote in the email. “For us to turn Congress around, we need to support and expand that movement. That’s why … I’m going to ask you to give (if you can) to Ro’s and my campaign.”

Ocasio-Cortez plans to hit the campaign trail for at least three other Democratic candidates in primary races this year who are backed by Justice Democrats, a PAC that supports progressive candidates.

That includes Missouri congressional candidate Cori Bush, a former teacher, registered nurse and pastor who is trying to unseat longtime Democratic Rep. Lacy Clay.

Ocasio-Cortez hopes to bolster their campaigns through rallies, fundraising and media, according to a source familiar with the matter.