U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez arrived in Central New York on Monday with a mission: help re-activate thousands of disengaged Democratic Party voters ahead of a crucial midterm election in November for Democrats.
Ocasio-Cortez, who represents parts of the Bronx and Queens, said at a packed All Saints Church Monday afternoon that her effort to mobilize organizers and connect with voters will bring New Yorkers who are often forgotten by Democratic Party back into the fold.
“The Democratic Party has neglected and ignored a lot of working-class New Yorkers across the state,” Ocasio-Cortez said. “We are here to change that starting today.”
Her trip to Syracuse was the final stop in a three-city tour of Upstate New York: She has visited Buffalo, Ithaca and Syracuse. National news outlet Axios characterized Ocasio-Cortez’ Upstate New York trip as a test-run for a 2028 bid for a US Senate seat. As her trip to Syracuse concluded, Ocasio-Cortez donned a Buffalo Bills hoodie.
Ocasio-Cortez’s visit to Syracuse comes at a time when Democrats are aiming to retake control of Congress. Those efforts run parallel to what some local candidates have called a period of progressive metamorphosis among the pool of candidates and the Democratic Party electorate in a slew of key races across New York.
In Onondaga County, for instance, progressive candidates Sharon Owens, Maurice Brown and Nicole Watts have prevailed in primaries in which they ran against candidates endorsed by the county Democratic establishment.
“What we have to do is… to build it, and build it, and build it, until the dam breaks,” Ocasio-Cortez said of electing candidates who can make a difference in the lives of voters. “We are getting results. Things are actually working. We’re going to keep winning some more.”
The journey to retake the House of Representatives goes through New York, she said.
Democrats need a net gain of three seats this election cycle to regain control of the House. Several of the requisite seats can be flipped in New York, Ocasio-Cortez added.
To ensure that Democrats can flip the seven seats controlled by Republicans in the New York delegation, the party needs to connect with voters deemed inactive by the state, she said.
Ocasio-Cortez’s effort, named “Project Reactivation,” will target voters deemed inactive because:
- They have not voted in consecutive federal elections
- And/or they have not updated their address after receiving a notification from the Onondaga County Board of Elections
Destiny Cruz, the field director for Ocasio-Cortez’s campaign, said their office has identified 6,314 Democrats with an inactive status. Desiree LaFave, the Democratic deputy commissioner at the Onondaga County Board of Elections, said the board of elections has tallied nearly 12,000 inactive residents who have been previously registered as Democrats.
Project Reactivation will operate for the next five weeks, featuring a mailer from Owens, a robust phonebanking effort and two weeks of doorknocking prior to election night on Nov. 3.
Brown, a Democratic Socialist who is running as a Democrat to represent the 129th Assembly District, said the key to reactivating voters who have felt disengaged with the political process is to show them that the government can work for them.
“You’re actually running against ‘I am not going to vote,’” said Brown, who defeated an almost 30-year incumbent in the June primary. “‘I am not going to vote’ has won every local election. And if we don’t do anything to get those infrequent voters to vote, we’re going to keep seeing the same outcomes we have.”
Ocasio-Cortez’s visit to Syracuse came days after the region’s chapter of the Working Families Party became an official chapter of the statewide party. Statewide party officials say the move is a recognition of how far the local progressive moment has come.
Over the last two years, the local Working Families Party has helped flip the County Legislature in favor of Democrats for the first time in several decades. The party also helped elect Owens out of a contested field of Democrats, despite Owens not being the county Democratic Committee’s preferred choice.
Statewide Working Families Party Director Jasmine Gripper said voters across the country are experiencing an anti-establishment moment. They want an alternative to the choices their local Democrat and Republican Parties have offered for years, she said.
“What we do is we lean into the contrast and we try to let the momentum swing in our direction as long as possible and keep making bigger swings and build off of it,” Gripper said.
Ruthnie Angrand, a member of the CNY Working Families Party chapter, said the party stands to benefit from inaction from Republicans and Democrats on issues like the war in Iran and a rising cost of living. That will continue to grow WFP locally, she noted.
“People want more,” Angrand said. “So I think what Onondaga County and other counties are going to see is that once voters understand they have options, they’re going to take them.”
WFP, Gripper said, makes big bets. The future could see the party revisiting objectives that have not yet come to fruition, like the passage of a local version of “Good Cause Eviction” legislation. The bill could help tenants challenge evictions without a good cause in court.
As the party continues to see primary challenges to prominent offices, progressives could also look to unseat U.S. Rep. John Mannion, who represents Central New York in Congress. Mannion has received the endorsement of the Working Families Party. Gripper said the party is encouraging voters to vote for the congressman on the WFP line.
“Remind him of who is in this district, and where his base is coming from,” she said, “so that he doesn’t take us for granted.”
For now, local leaders want to remain focused on turning out voters. Sen. Rachel May, who has been heralded by Politico as a kingmaker for progressive candidates in Central New York, said voters need to come together to build a meaningful resistance to the administration of President Donald Trump.
“If we act together, we are not hopeless,” May said. “We are the power. If we can just get the numbers out there. Every election, millions of people stay home. And it is the reason why we don’t have the government that we want.”
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