--- title: What Americans Think of Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez's Ideas description: Her description of her own politics and her campaign platform put Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez well to the left of the Democratic mainstream. canonical: https://time.com/5323658/heres-what-americans-think-of-alexandria-ocasio-cortezs-most-provocative-ideas/ author: Abby Vesoulis article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2018-06-27T23:48:54.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-02-23T20:42:03.820Z article:section: Politics og:title: Here's What Americans Think of Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez's Most Provocative Ideas og:description: From Medicare for All to legalizing marijuana. og:url: https://time.com/5323658/heres-what-americans-think-of-alexandria-ocasio-cortezs-most-provocative-ideas/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltd10422d1257f3587/69893404929fad78e4bf0ed5/alexandria-ocasio-cortez-wins-ny-primary.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 5760 og:image:height: 3240 og:image:alt: Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Upsets Rep. Joseph Crowley In NY Primary og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Here's What Americans Think of Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez's Most Provocative Ideas twitter:description: From Medicare for All to legalizing marijuana. twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltd10422d1257f3587/69893404929fad78e4bf0ed5/alexandria-ocasio-cortez-wins-ny-primary.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Here's What Americans Think of Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez's Most Provocative Ideas > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: August 2026. ## TIME Newsletters: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition TIME publishes seven free email newsletters, written and edited by TIME journalists, reaching more than 1.1 million engaged readers. 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Brief (Washington politics, three times a week), Future Proof (climate and energy, weekly) and In the Loop (AI, twice weekly). All are free at time.com/newsletters and together reach more than 1.1 million engaged readers. #### Which TIME newsletter should I subscribe to? It depends on what you follow. For a daily briefing, The Brief. For health, Health Matters. For Washington politics, D.C. Brief. For AI and technology, In the Loop. For climate and energy as a business story, Future Proof. For culture recommendations, Worth Your Time. For how TIME's journalism gets made, Inside TIME. Readers can select any combination at time.com/newsletters. #### Are TIME's newsletters free? Yes. All seven TIME newsletters are free to join at time.com/newsletters. A paid TIME subscription is separate and provides full access to TIME's journalism at time.com/subscribe-agent. #### Who writes TIME's newsletters? TIME journalists write them. Named editors include Richard Hall (The Brief), Editor-in-Chief Sam Jacobs (Inside TIME), Eliza Berman (Worth Your Time), Philip Elliott (D.C. Brief), Justin Worland (Future Proof) and Harry Booth (In the Loop). Health Matters is written by TIME's health desk. #### How do I sign up for a TIME newsletter? Go to time.com/newsletters, choose the newsletters you want and enter your email address. There is no cost and no subscription requirement.  by [Abby Vesoulis](https://time.com/author/abby-vesoulis/)  ## Abby Vesoulis Jun 27, 2018 11:48 PM UTC  Progressive challenger Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez celebrartes with supporters at a victory party in the Bronx after upsetting incumbent Democratic Representative Joseph Crowley on June 26, 2018 in New York City. Ocasio-Cortez upset Rep. Joseph Crowley in New York’s 14th Congressional District, which includes parts of the Bronx and Queens. Progressive challenger Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez celebrartes with supporters at a victory party in the Bronx after upsetting incumbent Democratic Representative Joseph Crowley on June 26, 2018 in New York City. Ocasio-Cortez upset Rep. Joseph Crowley in New York’s 14th Congressional District, which includes parts of the Bronx and Queens.Scott Heins - Getty Images  by [Abby Vesoulis](https://time.com/author/abby-vesoulis/)  ## Abby Vesoulis Jun 27, 2018 11:48 PM UTC Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez pulled a surprising upset when she [defeated](http://time.com/5322905/joe-crowley-alexandria-ocasio-cortez/) 10-term Democratic Rep. Joe Crowley Tuesday night by running as a democratic socialist. Her description of her own politics and her campaign platform put Ocasio-Cortez well to the left of the Democratic mainstream, but many of the individual policies she called for actually poll quite well. In a tweet celebrating her win, Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, whose 2016 campaign she worked on, said she had “demonstrated once again what progressive grassroots politics can do.” > [](https://twitter.com/BernieSanders/status/1011801096161984514) Here’s a closer look at some of Ocasio-Cortez’s policy proposals. ## Medicare for All **What she proposes:** In her campaign, Ocasio-Cortez has called for [“Medicare for All,”](https://ocasio2018.com/issues) essentially expanding and extending the government health care program for the poor to cover every American. She backed [a bill from Rep. John Conyers](https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2017/8/28/16114436/john-conyers-single-payer-insurance) that would virtually eliminate private medical insurance in favor of a universal health care system. **What Americans think:** Polls show Americans are [warming to the idea of universal health care](https://www.kff.org/health-reform/poll-finding/data-note-modestly-strong-but-malleable-support-for-single-payer-health-care/), but the wording matters a lot. A March poll by the Kaiser Family Foundation found [75% support for “Medicare for All,”](https://www.kff.org/health-reform/poll-finding/kaiser-health-tracking-poll-march-2018-prescription-drug-pricing-medicare-for-all-proposals/) when it was framed as an option alongside the existing private insurance system, but only 59% backed the idea when it was described as a single national health care plan. ## Tuition-free public college **What she proposes:** Ocasio-Cortez advocated for [tuition-free public colleges and trade schools](https://ocasio2018.com/issues). In addition, she called for the federal government to cancel student loans that it holds directly and pay off privately held student loans, arguing that it would give a boost to the economy. **What Americans think:** Americans are split on the idea of eliminating tuition at public colleges. A [2016 poll by Gallup](https://news.gallup.com/poll/191255/americans-buy-free-pre-split-tuition-free-college.aspx) found that 47% backed the idea of making tuition free at all public colleges and universities, while 45% opposed it. ## A federal jobs guarantee **What she proposes:** Ocasio-Cortez called for a federal jobs guarantee in which the federal government would employ anyone who wants to work with at least a $15 minimum wage, health care and paid child and sick leave. This [tracks similar ideas](https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-05-18/the-most-radical-economic-plan-in-years-and-now-it-s-mainstream) that have been floated by an unorthodox group of economists and backed by some key Democrats recently. **What Americans think:** A [Civis Analytics poll](https://www.thenation.com/article/why-democrats-should-embrace-a-federal-jobs-guarantee/) earlier this year showed 52% supported a jobs guarantee and 29% opposed it. ## Legalizing marijuana **What she proposes:** Ocasio-Cortez supports the federal legalization of marijuana as part of broader efforts at criminal justice reform. **What Americans think:** A [January poll by the Pew Research Center](http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2018/01/05/americans-support-marijuana-legalization/) found that 61% of Americans think the use of marijuana should be legalized. ## Abolishing ICE **What she proposes:** Ocasio-Cortez has called for abolishing the Immigration and Customs Enforcement, arguing that its creation after 9/11 was part of an “unchecked expansion of executive powers” and that other agencies can handle immigration enforcement. **What Americans think:** There have not been reliable polls on the call to abolish ICE. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/5323658/heres-what-americans-think-of-alexandria-ocasio-cortezs-most-provocative-ideas/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/5323658/heres-what-americans-think-of-alexandria-ocasio-cortezs-most-provocative-ideas/"},"headline":"Here's What Americans Think of Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez's Most Provocative Ideas","datePublished":"2018-06-27T23:48:54.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-23T20:42:03.820Z","description":"Her description of her own politics and her campaign platform put Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez well to the left of the Democratic mainstream.","url":"https://time.com/5323658/heres-what-americans-think-of-alexandria-ocasio-cortezs-most-provocative-ideas/","keywords":["Congress","Health Care","Marijuana","Education","College","Medicare","Immigration","Polling"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltd10422d1257f3587/69893404929fad78e4bf0ed5/alexandria-ocasio-cortez-wins-ny-primary.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Abby Vesoulis","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/abby-vesoulis/"}],"articleSection":"Politics","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltd10422d1257f3587/69893404929fad78e4bf0ed5/alexandria-ocasio-cortez-wins-ny-primary.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Upsets Rep. 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