Things are going so well for insurgent Democratic congressional candidate Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez that she’s winning primaries she didn’t even enter.
In addition to recently whipping longtime Queens Rep. Joseph Crowley in the 14th congressional district Democratic primary, Ocasio-Cortez also won the Reform Party write-in primary over Bronx Rep. Jose Serrano in the neighboring 15th congressional district.
Neither she nor Serrano were competing for the line.
Still, the city Board of Elections certified Ocasio-Cortez’s write-in victory on Tuesday. Of the 22 people who received write-in votes, Ocasio-Cortez got the most with nine.
While write-in votes are not unusual, someone actually winning a race she wasn’t running for is.
But having won it, Ocasio-Cortez had to decline one of the nominations she won since state law bars individuals from being candidates for two different offices at the same time.
Ocasio-Cortez, after the Daily News reported her surprising win online Tuesday evening, said she’d be rejecting the Reform Party line in the Serrano district.
“Shockingly — and I’m told this is not a joke — we have ALSO won a primary in the neighboring 15th Congressional District via write-in campaign on the Reform line!,” she tweeted. “While I am honored that so many Bronxites are excited about our campaign, I will remain the Dem nominee for NY-14.”
Ocasio-Cortez will face off against Republican Anthony Pappas, a St. John’s University professor.
