Meet Marie Newman, the Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez-backed progressive who won the Democratic primary bid for a congressional seat in Illinois

• Marie Newman, a progressive newcomer and businesswoman, recently beat incumbent Dan Lipinski in a primary bid for a congressional seat in Illinois.
• Newman described herself in an interview with Business Insider as a “suburban mother” who supports “working families, healthcare for all, and everybody’s rights.”
• She had the support of the progressive political-action group Justice Democrats and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez in opposing Lipinski, a longtime incumbent and one of the few anti-abortion access Democrats.
• Newman is set to face off against Mike Fricilone, her Republican opponent, in November.
• Here’s a look at her political career so far.
• Visit Business Insider’s homepage for more stories.

On Tuesday night, Marie Newman, a progressive Democrat, beat 15-year incumbent, Rep. Dan Lipinski in the Democratic primary for a congressional seat in Illinois.

Source: Business Insider

In a 2017 interview with Business Insider, Newman described herself as a “suburban mother” who supports “working families, healthcare for all, and everybody’s rights.”

Source: Business Insider

Newman’s 2020 run was supported by the progressive group Justice Democrats, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and EMILY’s List, which supports female Democratic candidates who support abortion access.

Source: New York Times

In an interview with The New York Times, Rep. Ocasio-Cortez said “Marie Newman is a textbook example of one of the ways that we could be better as a party — to come from a deep blue seat and to be championing all the issues we need to be championing.”

Source: New York Times

Commenting on her win, Newman tweeted she was "bursting with pride" and drew attention to the work she says she intends to do "to lower health care costs, to fight climate change, and to build an economy that works for everyone."

Source: Twitter

Her opponent, Lipinski, is one of the few House Democrats to oppose most abortions. He also opposed the Affordable Care Act and same-sex marriage, until the latter was legalized in 2015. Lipinski took the House seat over from his father in 2005.

Source: Business Insider, NPR, Business Insider

This isn't the first time Newman and Lipinski have come head to head. In the 2018 midterm, Newman lost to Lipinski by a margin of a little over 2 percentage points.

Source: Business Insider

During her first run, former presidential candidate Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand said in a statement that a vote for Newman is "another vote for health care, for women, and for our LGBTQ friends and family."

Newman was born in Evergreen Park, Illinois, and raised in the Southwest Side of Chicago. She attended Marquette University before transferring to the University of Wisconsin.

Source: Marie Newman for Congress

Newman has worked as a business consultant and ad agency partner in the past. A LinkedIn page for "Marie Newman & Associates" listed the company as a marketing and advertising agency founded in 2005 and based out of Chicago.

Source: LinkedIn, New York Times, Chicago Tribune

Her campaign page talks about an anti-bullying nonprofit she started after one of children faced bullying.

Source: Marie Newman for Congress