COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa — Gabriela Barajas’ friends dragged her to the rally with Bernie Sanders and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.
The 19-year-old had never gone to a campaign event before, and she had no idea who she’d support in the Democratic primary. But by the time she left, she was with Sanders.
“I’m speechless right now,” she said as her friends bolted toward her with a freshly snapped selfie with Ocasio-Cortez in hand. “Seeing how passionate he is, how passionate she is, it just amazes me. … She’s inspirational to all Latinas, to all women.”
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Ocasio-Cortez’s star power was put to the test in Middle America this weekend — and she and Sanders drew thousands of excited fans to three stops across Iowa. Audience members donned purple shirts emblazoned with the Bronx congresswoman’s name and shouted “I love you!” to her.
The raucous crowds demonstrated that Ocasio-Cortez can boost excitement and win media attention for Sanders’ campaign in the early-voting states, even if she comes with the downside of turning off some moderate voters. All three stops this weekend were larger than any Sanders had previously held in Iowa this year, bringing between 2,000 and 2,400 people each, according to the campaign. Sanders aides said the Council Bluffs rally drew more people than any other presidential campaign event in the state in 2019.
“Some campaigns struggle to make 1,000 face-to-face contacts in a week,” boasted Misty Rebik, Sanders’ Iowa state director. “We just tripled that in 24 hours.”
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