Ocasio-Cortez has spent more campaign money this cycle than any other Democrat up for re-election

With the freshman congresswoman eschewing traditional lavish fundraisers, nearly 80 per cent of the $10.5m she has raised has come from donations of $200 or less

In just two years, Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has built a political operation rivalling those of some of the most prolific fundraising showstoppers in Washington.

The New York Democrat has spent the most money of any House Democrat seeking re-election this fall, shelling out at least $6.3m so far this cycle, despite representing one of the most liberal districts in the country.

That's no reason to panic: Ms Ocasio-Cortez still has $4.6m in cash left over in her campaign account after raking in more than $10.5m over the last roughly 18 months, according to data compiled by the Federal Election Commission.

For Ms Ocasio-Cortez, the lavish campaign spending is an investment in her political future. To build a sustainable donor base to become a national power player, politicians must spend big.

But with Ms Ocasio-Cortez largely eschewing the elaborate $1,000-per-plate dinners that have traditionally lined politicians' campaign coffers, that means she must harness the digital realm as she frames her buildup of resources as the product of the progressive "movement."

Ms Ocasio-Cortez has used more than $1m on Facebook advertisements so far this cycle soliciting small-dollar donations (that is, donations of $200 or less) to her campaign, a review of her FEC records shows.

In May alone, the congresswoman's campaign committee spent $168,056 on Facebook ads asking donors to help her defeat three challengers in the 14th District's Democratic primary that will be held on Tuesday and that will essentially determine who will win the general election in the very liberal district.

The biggest threat to Ms Ocasio-Cortez is former TV anchor and author Michelle Caruso-Cabrera, a former Republican who has received substantial backing from large-dollar donors with a particular concentration in the finance sector.

“She's a democratic socialist and she's a polarising, divisive force,” Ms Caruso-Cabrera said of Ms Ocasio-Cortez during a virtual Democratic primary debate over the weekend.

“She is wrong for the times. She is wrong for New York, and she is wrong for our neighbourhoods,” Ms Caruso-Cabrera said.

The financial success of Ms Ocasio-Cortez' grassroots digital campaign indicates otherwise: Small-dollar donations are responsible for nearly 80 per cent of the money the congresswoman has raised this cycle, per her candidate profile on Open Secrets.

By comparison, the top House fundraiser, GOP Whip Steve Scalise, has earned just 44 per cent of the nearly $20m he has raised so far this cycle through small-dollar donations, according to Open Secrets.

The top-fundraising House Democrat this cycle, lead impeachment investigator Adam Schiff, has raised 54 per cent of his total campaign funds through small-dollar donations.

Ms Ocasio-Cortez has also hired a robust campaign staff to help the operation run smoothly.

Nearly three dozen people received payroll checks from the congresswoman's campaign account in May and June, a staff size more befitting a serious Senate operation.

In fact, Ms Ocasio-Cortez has not ruled out challenging Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, who is up for re-election in 2022.

"Honestly, this news cycle is so insane — who knows where any of us are going to be in 2022," she said in April in response to a question from Politico Playbook about a potential primary challenge to Mr Schumer.

At least one person thinks Ms Ocasio-Cortez would win such a showdown: Donald Trump.

Retweeting a story from the Washington Times on Sunday about the pressures Ms Ocasio-Cortez is facing to run against Mr Schumer, the president added words of encouragement.

"Actually, that would be a big improvement — and she would win!" Mr Trump wrote.