The ‘next Ocasio-cortez’ claims NYC victory in blow to centrists

A PROGRESSIVE former teacher from the Bronx billed as the “next Alexandria Ocasio-cortez” is on course for victory in New York’s primary elections, after a day of spectacular upsets of centrists across the board.

Jamaal Bowman, a black 44-yearold, claimed victory over 16-term incumbent Eliot Engel, a 73-year-old white moderate Democrat, to represent the city’s 16th district in Congress, prompting pundits to suggest it signalled a swing to the Left for the country in the lead-up to November’s presidential election.

Final results may take weeks, but Mr Bowman’s lead – as of Wednesday, he had 60.7 per cent of the vote, compared with Mr Engel’s 34.7 per cent – appears too big to surmount.

Mr Bowman, a virtual unknown who campaigned on Medicare for all as well racial and economic justice, was endorsed by Ms Ocasio-cortez, who herself reclaimed her seat in Congress by a landslide in Tuesday’s vote. Ms Ocasiocortez, a 30-year-old Hispanic former bartender who has been a vocal critic of Donald Trump, said her reported results of about 70 per cent of the vote would be a “transformative” mandate.

After his win, Mr Bowman said: “I’m a black man who was raised by a single mother in a housing project. That story doesn’t usually end in Congress. But today, that 11-year old boy who was beaten by police is about to be your next representative.” He added: “Eliot Engel used to say he was a thorn in the side of Donald Trump. But you know what Trump is more afraid of than anything else? A black man with power.”

In New York’s 17th Congressional District, Mondaire Jones, 33, a favourite of the activist Left, led a crowded race to replace retiring Nita Lowey, 82.

Mr Jones, who is poised to win the seat, would be the first black, openly gay member of Congress. “The national implications of what occurred in New York are very significant,” said Hank Sheinkopf, a strategist who has worked with prominent Democrats.

“This is a generation shift,” he said, adding that senior Democrats such as Nancy Pelosi may have to make room for the young and increasingly influential liberal wing.