Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez burst onto the scene in 2018 when she upended Democratic Caucus Chair Joe Crowley to win a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives to represent New York’s 14th congressional district which covers parts of the Bronx and Queens. With her unlikely victory, the 29-year-old self-proclaimed Democratic Socialist became the youngest woman to serve in Congress in the history of the United States.
But while Ocasio-Cortez went from bartender to Congresswoman, she continues to prove that she’s just like the rest of us.
On Wednesday, April 3, Ocasio-Cortez took to Instagram Live for an hour-long session where she gave her supporters a look at her Washington, D.C. apartment which is reminiscent of every college dorm ever. AOC was sitting on the floor taking questions from her followers while revealing that her apartment is unfurnished and she still sleeps on a mattress directly on the floor.
I guess it’s a good thing that she was assembling some IKEA furniture.
“My apartment is like unfurnished. I’ve been living like a completely depraved lifestyle. I’ve been sleeping on a mattress on the floor,’ and revealed the mattress was still in its plastic wrapping,” she joked. “I got sworn in January 3, today it’s April-something and I still don’t own a chair.”
You can check out some of the video below.
AOC’s apartment is located in an upscale area of the nation’s capital, according to the New York Post, where rent runs between $2,000 for a studio apartment and over $5,000 for a three-bedroom.
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Bio
Born: October 13, 1989 (29 years old)
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez was born in the Bronx and raised in the neighborhood until the age of 5. Her family then relocated to Yorktown Heights, a suburb in Westchester County, where she attended Yorktown High School before graduating in 2007. Despite moving away from New York City, Ocasio-Cortez would regularly return to the Bronx to visit her extended family.
Ocasio-Cortez went on to attend Boston University where she graduated cum laude with a bachelor’s degree in international relations and economics.
Her father passed away from lung cancer in 2008.
After graduating college, Ocasio-Cortez returned to the Bronx and worked as a bartender and waitress in Manhattan. Her mother was cleaning houses and drove school buses while they fought the foreclosure of their home following her father’s death.
Ocasio-Cortez became more engaged in politics when she worked on Bernie Sanders’ campaign in 2016 where she traveled to speak with people affected by real issues. Ocasio-Cortez visited Flint, Michigan to discuss the water crisis and Standing Rock where she discussed the Dakota Access Pipeline.
After that experience, Ocasio-Cortez ran for the U.S. House of Representatives and launched a strong grassroots campaign where she ultimately upended Democratic Caucus Chair Joe Crowley. She was the first person to challenge Crowley since 2004 and won the election despite spending just $194,000 compared to Crowley’s $3.4 million.
Ocasio-Cortez has been endorsed by civil rights and progressive groups like MoveOn, Justice Democrats, Brand New Congress, Black Lives Matter, and Democracy for America.