The Independent reported that Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez used a Wednesday night Instagram video to link Democrats’ 2026 congressional gains to the excitement of Barack Obama’s 2008 victory, inviting younger voters to compare the moments.
She called the earnestness she was describing “Millennial cringe.” She asked Gen Z to picture Democrats’ seat gains alongside the enthusiasm around electing the first Black U.S. president. She connected the election with the experience of voting for the first time. “That hits generationally,” Ocasio-Cortez said, closing with “Just keep at it.”
Democrats won control of both chambers after victories in Republican strongholds such as Texas and Kansas, The Independent reported. Ocasio-Cortez secured 78% of the vote in New York’s 14th Congressional District, the outlet said.
The Independent said voters ages 18 to 29 chose Democratic candidates in House races at a 66% rate, compared with 31% for Republicans.
During the campaign, Ocasio-Cortez backed several progressive Democrats, including Abdul El-Sayed, the Michigan Senate-elect, and Angie Nixon, a Florida Democrat, The Independent reported. Nixon lost to Republican Sen. Ashley Moody. The Independent said some Democrats in swing states were reluctant to share campaign appearances with Ocasio-Cortez, concerned her progressive image might alienate undecided voters. An unnamed strategist told Axios, in remarks cited by The Independent, that she was “a lightning rod.”
