NY Congressional Candidate Ocasio-Cortez Visits San Francisco
SAN FRANCISCO (CBS SF) -- Fresh off the heels of a Democratic congressional primary win in New York, politician and organizer Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez will make be in San Francisco's Mission District Tuesday evening for two fundraising events.
Ocasio-Cortez is first set to appear at 7 p.m. at The Assembly at 449 14th St. Available tickets for the event run between $500 and $2,700.
Next, Ocasio-Cortez will appear at an event hosted by the San Francisco Progressive Alliance, which starts at 7:30 p.m. at the Gray Area/Grand Theater at 2665 Mission St.
Ocasio-Cortez, who describes herself as a democratic socialist, has been touring the county after she recently beat 10-term incumbent Joe Crowley in the primary race for New York's 14th Congressional District.
The 28-year-old is known for her progressive stances on housing, income inequality, health care and education, and will be the youngest woman ever elected to Congress if she beats her Republican opponent Anthony Pappas in November's general election.
Although Ocasio-Cortez hails from New York, Shandi Singh, co-chair of the Democratic Socialists of America's San Francisco chapter, said many people in the Bay Area are very interested in hearing what she has to say.
"San Francisco is considered a bastion of progressiveness in America, yet we're dealing with an exacerbation of the same problems," Singh said. "We should listen to what this young woman of color has to say ... it speaks volumes that her message resonates here."
The response to the 7:30 p.m. event has been so great that organizers were forced to move it at the last minute from the El Rio bar to the Gray Area/Grand Theater, which seats 500 people. However, this venue sold out within a few hours as well due to the huge response, which was unanticipated.
"There are more people that want to come, but at this point, we can't change anything more," said Claire Lau of the San Francisco Progressive Alliance.
As the Democratic party struggles with its identity, identity politics is coming into focus, said Hadar Aviram, a law professor at UC Hastings. Ocasio-Cortez, a self-proclaimed socialist, is becoming a symbol among progressives.
"People want to see more people in government that look like them. Seeing young people, more women and more people of color is meaningful to many voters," said Aviram.
While event-goers are being asked to donate toward Ocasio-Cortez's campaign, no one will be turned away for lack of funds, Singh said.
"It's really a great opportunity to get plugged in on what's going on in this city," she said, adding that several Bay Area activists will attend and speak. "You're going to have the city's best and brightest here tonight."
In addition to the DSA and SFPA, the 7:30 p.m. event is also being put on by the San Francisco Latino Democratic Club, San Francisco Berniecrats and the Harvey Milk LGBTQ Democratic Club.
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