She Won a Historic Election. Now, a Problem

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez made history Tuesday by becoming the youngest woman ever elected to Congress. But the 29-year-old Democratic star from New York City revealed to the New York Times that she has an unusual problem as a result, albeit a temporary one. "I have three months without a salary before I’m a member of Congress," she says. "So, how do I get an apartment? Those little things are very real.” Ocasio-Cortez began the year as a restaurant bartender and says she saved as much as she could before launching her political run and pulling a stunning upset in the primary.

Now the demands on the soon-to-be congresswoman are greater than ever, making it impractical to take a temporary job. “We’re kind of just dealing with the logistics of it day by day," she says of herself and her partner, "but I’ve really been just kind of squirreling away and then hoping that gets me to January.” In a subsequent tweet, the democratic socialist referenced the money trouble. "There are many little ways in which our electoral system isn’t even designed (nor prepared) for working-class people to lead," she wrote. "This is one of them (don’t worry btw - we’re working it out!)" (She even won a primary she didn't enter.)