Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) on Wednesday praised freshman Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), saying millions of people are now taking cues from the former bartender.
“A year ago, she was taking orders across a bar,” Warren writes in an essay on Ocasio-Cortez for Time magazine’s “100 Most Influential People” list. “Today, millions are taking cues from her. She reminds all of us that even while greed and corruption slow our progress, even while armies of lobbyists swarm Washington, in our democracy, true power still rests with the people.
“And she’s just getting started,” Warren, a 2020 presidential candidate, added.
In the essay, Warren celebrated Ocasio-Cortez’s journey to becoming a congresswoman, noting that “her commitment to putting power in the hands of the people is forged in fire.”
“Coming from a family in crisis and graduating from school with a mountain of debt, she fought back against a rigged system and emerged as a fearless leader in a movement committed to demonstrating what an economy, a planet and a government that works for everyone should look like,” she said.
Ocasio-Cortez, who became the youngest congresswoman in history earlier this year, appeared on the list alongside President Trump, former first lady Michelle Obama and Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh, among others.
The Democratic freshman thanked Warren on Twitter for the write-up.
“Couldn’t be more honored and humbled to read these words from a woman I admire so deeply,” Ocasio-Cortez tweeted. “Thank you, Senator Warren, for your tireless fight for working families.”
Time Editor-in-Chief and CEO Edward Felsenthal said that a record 48 women appeared on the list this year.
Ocasio-Cortez emerged as a rising star in the Democratic Party last year after defeating 10-term Rep. Joseph Crowley (D-N.Y.) in a Democratic primary.
She has been outspoken about a range of issues since being sworn into the lower chamber. She joined Sen. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) earlier this year in introducing the Green New Deal resolution, an initiative that calls for sweeping infrastructure investments to combat climate change.
She’s also credited her experience as a bartender with helping her in her new job. She said in February that her experience in the service industry helped her cross-examine Trump’s former lawyer, Michael Cohen, during his Congressional testimony.
“Bartending + waitressing (especially in NYC) means you talk to 1000s of people over the years,” Ocasio-Cortez tweeted. “Forces you to get great at reading people + hones a razor-sharp BS detector.
“Just goes to show that what some consider to be ‘unskilled labor’ can actually be anything but.”
Warren and Ocasio-Cortez were spotted having lunch in Washington last month and the two joked on Twitter about media speculation about the meeting.