NY 14th Congressional District Race Preview: Ocasio-Cortez​ Vs. Forte

NEW YORK CITY — New York's 14th Congressional District has been represented by Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez since 2019, on November 5 voters will choose between the incumbent congresswoman or Republican challenger Tina Forte in a rematch of the 2022 election.

Ocasio-Cortez defeated Marty Dolan in the June 2024 primary election. In 2018, Ocasio-Cortez garnered national media attention when she defeated incumbent Joseph Crowley 56.7 percent to 43.3 percent in the Democratic primary.

In the 2018 general election, she defeated Anthony Pappas 78.2 percent to 13.6 percent.

New York's 14th Congressional District encompass parts of the Bronx and Queens.

Ocasio-Cortez graduated from Boston University College of Arts & Sciences in 2011. She previously worked as a volunteer organizer for Bernie Sanders' 2016 presidential campaign and worked in former Sen. Ted Kennedy's (D-Mass.) foreign affairs and immigration office.

Ocasio-Cortez has received multiple endorsements in his re-election bid, including Teamsters Local 202, American Postal Workers Union, United Workers Union Region 9A, United Healthcare Workers East, New York State Nurses Association, District Council 37, Muslim Democrat Club New York, Stonewall Democrats of NYC and National Women's Political Caucus, among others.

In Congress, she serves on the Committee on Natural Resources, Energy and Mineral Resources Committee and the Committee on Oversight and Accountability.

Ocasio-Cortez's main campaign issues are Medicare For All, housing as a human right and improving public housing, protecting women's and LGBTQIA+ rights, elevate public education and a Green New Deal.

"With working families struggling and our planet under threat, we can’t just wait around for progressive change. It’s time for us to act," Ocasio-Cortez said in a statement on her campaign website.

Republican Challenger

Forte will be aiming to unseat Ocasio-Cortez after she lost the 2022 general election to the congresswoman, 70.6 percent to 27.3 percent.

Forte was raised in the Throggs Neck neighborhood in the Bronx. She is a Marine Corps veteran, and a small business owner.

According to her campaign website, Forte is fighting to "stop radical socialists from destroying the American Dream."

Forte, if elected, said she would fully fund law enforcement and push to end dangerous bail reform policies.

On the issue of healthcare, Forte said people should be allowed to make their own healthcare decisions, without government interference, according to her campaign website.

Forte said she supports the completion of a barrier to deter illegal immigration and stop human trafficking across the Southern border.

Other campaign issues include creating jobs, and preserving and improving the Department of Veterans Affairs.

Patch will be following the results of this race on election night with live updates.