As Congresswoman 'Keeps Kicking Ass' on Social Media, Ocasio-Cortez Rejects Idea 'Some Subjects Too Complex for Everyday People'

Bolstering Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez's (D-N.Y.) recent remark that "everyday people like it when we fight for everyday people," a new analysis of social media data published on Sunday found that the freshman congresswoman received more Twitter engagement over the past month than any other Democrat in Congress--and it wasn't even close.

"When I meet everyday people, they are eager to learn more, ask great questions, and embrace nuance."
--Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez

According to numbers from CrowdTangle compiled by Axios, Ocasio-Cortez, who was sworn in less than two weeks ago, had 11.8 million total interactions on Twitter--retweets plus likes--between Dec. 11 and Jan. 11. The congressional Democrat with the second most Twitter interactions was Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.), with 4.6 million.

"I inherently reject the paternalistic idea that some subjects are too complex for everyday people to engage," Ocasio-Cortez tweeted on Monday, explaining her messaging approach that has, in just a few months, driven previously obscure or marginalized solutions like the Green New Deal and a 70 percent top marginal tax rate into mainstream political discourse.

"When I meet everyday people, they are eager to learn more, ask great questions, and embrace nuance," Ocasio-Cortez wrote. "If we present compelling, solid info plus commonsense arguments, we can win."

Based on CrowdTangle's figures, below is a Twitter engagement ranking among the congressional Democrats included in the new analysis, as well as Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), former President Barack Obama, and former Rep. Beto O'Rourke (D-Texas). For Harris, Sanders, and Warren, the figure is the combined number of interactions on their personal and official accounts.

• Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.): 11.8 million
• Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.): 4.6 million
• House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.): 2.6 million
• Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.): 2.6 million
• Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.): 2.4 million
• Beto O'Rourke: 1.8 million
• Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.): 1.4 million

In addition to far surpassing her Democratic colleagues in Twitter engagement, Ocasio-Cortez is also receiving dramatically more social media interaction than America's largest corporate media outlets.

As Neal Rothschild of Axios put it, "Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is absolutely dominating the national conversation on Twitter, generating more interactions than the five biggest news organizations combined over the last 30 days."

Since Ocasio-Cortez burst onto the political scene last year with her astonishing primary upset of powerful Wall Street-friendly Rep. Joe Crowley (D-N.Y.) last June, much analysis has been devoted to discovering why she has garnered such widespread appeal in such a short period of time.

"She bluntly sticks up for progressive values, rather than timidly using conservative premises. She's not always perfectly polished, but I feel as if she's on my side and won't back down."
--Nathan Robinson, Current Affairs

While corporate Democrats have expressed confusion--and, in some cases, alarm--about the freshman congresswoman's popularity, Nathan Robinson of Current Affairs argued on Monday that Ocasio-Cortez's appeal lies in her straightforward and unabashed presentation of bold solutions that the public craves.

"She bluntly sticks up for progressive values, rather than timidly using conservative premises. She's not always perfectly polished, but I feel as if she's on my side and won't back down, which is something millennial leftists really need right now," Robinson wrote.

Lamenting the frequency with which politicians campaign on bold promises only to quickly backpedal once they take office, Robinson noted that Ocasio-Cortez "has been an inspiring exception to this. She made it clear that her loyalties weren't with the Democratic leadership but with the protesters occupying the offices of the Democratic leadership."

"My desperate, pleading hope is that instead of succumbing to the inevitable pressure from Congressional peers--moderate your rhetoric, 'get serious,' don't criticize the party--she doubles down and keeps kicking ass," Robinson concluded. "She's already showing how we can successfully change the conversation: The Green New Deal, like Medicare for All, has gone from marginal to mainstream within a matter of months."