The No. 4 Democrat in the U.S. House of Representatives, 10-term incumbent Joseph Crowley from New York's 14th distict, lost his bid for another term on Tuesday to 28-year-old democratic socialist Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.
The stunning upset is the latest sign that the party's left-wing insurgency is ascendant in 2018. The pro-Israel Crowley had not faced a challenger from his own party in 14 years.
Ocasio-Cortez, who won 57.5% of the votes in New York's 14th Congressional District primary, represents a considerable challenge for Israel, after criticizing the Israeli government's policies and even describing Israel's killing of violent Gaza border protesters a "massacre."
Crowley, who was viewed as a possible successor to Nancy Pelosi as minority leader of the House of Representatives, only received 42.5% of the votes.
Conceding defeat, Crowley voiced his support for Ocasio-Cortez.
"I look forward to supporting her and all Democrats this November," Crowley said in his concession remarks. "The Trump administration is a threat to everything we stand for here in Queens and the Bronx, and if we don't win back the House this November, we will lose the nation we love."
U.S. President Donald Trump mocked Crowley, who he called "one of my biggest critics," for losing the primary.
"Wow! Big Trump Hater Congressman Joe Crowley, who many expected was going to take Nancy Pelosi's place, just LOST his primary election," Trump tweeted Tuesday night. "In other words, he's out! That is a big one that nobody saw happening. Perhaps he should have been nicer, and more respectful, to his President!"
Ocasio-Cortez began her political career as an organizer for Senator Bernie Sanders' presidential campaign. To defeat Crowley, she ran an energetic, defiant grass roots campaign aimed at the outmoded Democratic establishment, drawing the bulk of her support from the party's ultra-liberal younger voter base.
The outcome of the New York race added fuel to the battle between the Democratic Party's establishment wing, led by longtime House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, and a more liberal faction inspired by Sanders' 2016 presidential campaign.
"This is yet another canary in the coal mine for both November and the years ahead," said Joshua Henne, a Democratic strategist. "You can look back four years to around now when Eric Cantor was knocked off and what that meant for an ascendant wing on the right. This is a big deal."
"This is the beginning of a movement," Ocasio-Cortez declared.
