Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) speaks onstage during the first day of the Democratic National Convention at the United Center on August 19, 2024 in Chicago, Illinois.
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Joe Raedle/Getty Images
The NPR Network will be reporting live from Chicago throughout the week bringing you the latest on the Democratic National Convention.
New York Representative and member of the “Squad,” Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, began her speech at the DNC by thanking Kamala Harris and Tim Walz for their “vision,” and Joe Biden for his “leadership.”
She then weaved her own story of growing up middle class in New York into the stories of the upbringings of Harris and Walz.
“There is nothing wrong with working for a living. Imagine having leaders who understand that,” she told the cheering crowd.
This was the congresswoman’s first major convention speech, for which she was given a primetime slot. In 2020, Ocasio-Cortez addressed the DNC crowd with a pre-recorded minute-and-a-half-long endorsement for Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders.
Following the end of her remarks, the crowd cheered, “AOC! AOC!” as she walked off the stage.
Watch her full remarks: