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Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is using Instagram stories to bring you behind the curtain of the Washington, DC establishment
Congresswoman-elect Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is using Instagram to give her followers a look inside a typically closed-off Washington.
Congresswoman-elect Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez — the Bronx-born Democratic giant-slayer — built her grassroots-powered, shoe-string campaign off of social media. And now that she's in Washington, she doesn't seem to be changing that.
Since arriving in the nation's capital for congressional orientation this week, the 29-year-old democratic socialist has posted a series of Instagram posts and stories that have generated a big response. The youngest woman ever elected to Congress, Ocasio-Cortez played to her millennial following by comparing her first days in DC to high school orientation and the Capitol building to Hogwarts.
She posted photos of her congressional "swag bag" and her "freshman yearbook."
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Squad . cc @ilhanmn @ayanna... @ ocasio2018
Many commented that her stories offered a new and intimate look inside the government — an unprecedented form of transparency.
"Highly recommend following @Ocasio2018’s Instagram story chronicle of her Congressperson frosh orientation," tweeted Hollywood executive Franklin Leonard. "A glimpse into the government that I can honestly say I've never seen, and the strong suggestion she'll do something interesting with it (which is, I suppose, unsurprising)."
Others found her posts endearing — a humanizing approach to politics that makes DC more accessible.
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"She makes politics seem relatable, doable, possible for any young person watching," wrote ELLE magazine.
On Twitter user wrote, "Never felt more seen by a member of Congress than Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s Instagram story of her touring the Library of Congress with the caption 'welcome to hogwarts.'"
Other popular young Democrats — particularly Rep. Beto O'Rourke, who ran for Republican Sen. Ted Cruz's seat this year — have also leveraged huge, celebrity-like social media followings and used Instagram stories to build their appeal.
But Ocasio-Cortez is also transparent about the darker underbelly of her political career. On Tuesday, she tweeted about the apparent sexism and ageism she's already faced in Washington, explaining that several people had mistaken her for a Congressperson's spouse and an intern.
People keep giving me direc... @ Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez
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