Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez called for the elimination of the electoral college on Twitter Saturday, casting the centuries-old institution as a blight on America’s foundational principles.
“It is well past time we eliminate the Electoral College, a shadow of slavery’s power on America today that undermines our nation as a democratic republic,” the self-described democratic socialist wrote in response to a GQ writer’s critique of the institution.
It is well past time we eliminate the Electoral College, a shadow of slavery’s power on America today that undermines our nation as a democratic republic. https://t.co/00HZN3MI6F
— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) October 6, 2018
Ocasio-Cortez has risen rapidly to national prominence with a glut of laudatory coverage in the nation’s most prestigious print and broadcast outlets, prompted by her shocking primary upset of six-term incumbent congressman Joe Crowley (D., N.Y.) earlier this year.
The 28-year old former waitress’s call for the elimination of the electoral college echoes that of fellow prominent progressives, who, emboldened by Hillary Clinton’s electoral loss, have argued that it is a fundamentally undemocratic institution that disadvantages Americans in high-density urban areas.
Ocasio-Cortez, who entered politics as an organizer for Vermont senator Bernie Sanders, has put forward an ambitious progressive agenda in the style of her former boss. She’s proposed Medicare-for-all, tuition-free higher education, and drastic individual and corporate tax hikes to fund her platform, which one analysis has indicated will require $40 trillion in additional government revenue.