Prior to her earth-shattering victory on June 26, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez garnered only two endorsements from statewide candidates. With the establishment terrified to upset incumbent Joe Crowley, fellow insurgent progressive New York women Cynthia Nixon, who is primarying Andrew Cuomo in the 2018 gubernatorial race, and Zephyr Teachout, who primaried Andrew Cuomo in the 2014 gubernatorial race and is now running for Attorney General, were the only candidates brave enough to get behind Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez before the primary. Both Cynthia Nixon and Zephyr Teachout now hope to bring the progressive momentum seen in New York’s 14th statewide as their September 13 primaries approach.

While Cynthia Nixon is Andrew Cuomo’s sole primary challenger in his bid for a third term as Governor of New York, Zephyr Teachout is running for the Democratic nomination in a crowded race of five. Four of them, including Teachout, are branding themselves as anti-Trump progressives. State Attorney Generals have been at the forefront of the resistance movement, and the New York Attorney General’s Office has unparalleled power to obstruct and combat the Trump administration’s dangerous agenda.

Teachout earned significant progressive credibility from her 2014 Democratic primary campaign, in which she received over 30% of the vote despite receiving no support from establishment figures or organizations. When incumbent Democratic Attorney General Eric Schneiderman resigned over reports of sexual abuse in May, Teachout saw an opportunity to finally hold New York politicians accountable for their corruption and abuse.

Teachout joined us on the podcast to discuss her “radically independent” candidacy, the #AbolishICE movement, and the importance of restorative justice. Listen on iTunes or in your browser below:

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