Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) told the National Baptist Convention this week that she is “amazed watching how God works” in advancing progressive politics, citing organizing efforts in deep-red states.
Speaking to the convention in Orlando, Florida, the New York Democrat framed a string of recent electoral developments in religious terms, describing them as the fruit of faith-based organizing during her 2024 rally tour with Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT). She recounted stops in states pundits called hopeless.
“Why would you go to Idaho? Why would you go to Montana? Why would you go to Utah?” Ocasio-Cortez said. “I felt very called.”
The congresswoman claimed a “miracle” followed. She said that after organizing in Utah, a court intervened.
“We said we must have the faith of a mustard seed. We must organize anyway,” she said. “One year later, out of nowhere, a judge strikes down Utah’s map and they are ordered to redraw. And it is only because of the organizing that we did in faith when there was no evidence.”
The Utah ruling stemmed from a 2018 anti-gerrymandering ballot measure, not the rally. Judge Dianna Gibson struck down the state’s Republican-drawn congressional map in August 2025 and later adopted a Democrat-leaning Salt Lake City district, putting Democrats in position to gain a U.S. House seat.
Ocasio-Cortez also pointed to Montana, where she said a Missoula rally drew “something like 20,000 people.” Reporting put the 2025 event at roughly 7,500 to 9,000, while her May 2026 rally for congressional candidate Sam Forstag drew about 800. She argued the disruption of the Trump era created an opening for the left.
“You’ve got someone coming in making a mess of everything and that allows us to rebuild it all from scratch,” she said.
The congresswoman closed by predicting a Senate win in Florida for Angie Nixon, a Democratic Socialists of America member who trailed Trump-backed Sen. Ashley Moody by eight points in one poll. The appearance follows Texas Democrat James Talarico, who said black churches hold a “deeper and more accurate” understanding of Jesus than white ones.
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