AOC was especially close to her father Sergio, who was widely beloved by all. When he died in 2008, his last words to her were: "Hey, make me proud."

Men love to talk abt being the "father of daughters." But @AOC gets much of her strength from being the daughter of her father.

Sergio was took AOC on her first trip to Washington DC and told her that gov was for her.

Her bedroom was too small to fit a desk, so he built her a loft bed. He painted a mural of jungle vines in the corner of her room.

After he died, she wore his watch to the Women's March.

Many of her core beliefs-- her sense of community, her understanding of housing as a basic right-- come from Sergio's life. Much of her understanding of systemic economic inequality comes from her family's struggle after his death during the 2008 financial crisis.

Sergio was not just @aoc's dad: he was also her inspiration, her fiercest defender, and her political mentor.

Calling yourself the "father of daughters" is a cheap defense mechanism.

But being the daughter of an exceptional father gave her strength, courage, and purpose

One more thought on this. Flipping from "I am the father of daughters" to "I am the daughter of a father" is yet another example of the generational turnover that people like @AOC are bringing into Congress.

Identifying as a daughter, rather than a father, is a big shift.