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OPINION — Meet “socialist,” the hardest-working word in politics in 2019. The single word has helped upstart Democrats attract young and social-curious potential voters, given the paddles of life to desperate-for-a-cause conservatives, and led President Donald Trump to an early and effective way to frame the re-election battle he wants to have with Democrats.

“Socialist” even made a usually ho-hum op-ed from a member of Congress, in this case Rep. Tom Emmer, one of Roll Call’s most read articles this week. “In their first 100 days, socialist Democrats have shown they are unable to lead.” You would read that, wouldn’t you? 

To coincide with Tax Day, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee is rolling out digital ads on Monday attacking 12 Republicans for the GOP tax plan that passed during the 115th Congress.

The new Facebook ads, obtained first by Roll Call, signal Democrats will continue to use the 2017 tax overhaul, which passed with only Republican votes, as a key part of their economic message heading into 2020, when the party will be trying to protect their midterm gains and expand the map by investing heavily in such places as Texas.

A New England grocery store strike is giving Democratic presidential hopefuls a chance to demonstrate their support for organized labor.

Democratic Sen. Elizabeth Warren greeted striking workers on a picket line in Somerville, Mass., on Friday — and of course, she brought Dunkin’ donuts and coffee.

Most people in this country either don’t like her or just don’t know enough about her, but Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez remains popular among her home constituency in New York’s 14th District.

Fifty-two percent of the freshman congresswoman’s registered constituents in The Bronx and the north-central portion of Queens view her favorably, compared to 33 percent who view her unfavorably, according to a new poll from the Sienna College Research Institute released Wednesday.

Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris is reviving her proposal to provide new tax credits to help families with high housing costs.

The California senator on Tuesday will reintroduce the Rent Relief Act, which would establish refundable tax credits in cases when rent and utilities exceed 30 percent of a household’s income.

Ohio Democratic Rep. Marcia L. Fudge on Wednesday challenged the Agriculture Department’s premise for a rule that would restrict food stamp benefits for some working poor, using as an example employees who clean Capitol Hill office buildings or serve lawmakers food in the cafeterias.

“Even this government doesn’t pay them enough to make a living,” said Fudge, who chairs the Agriculture Subcommittee on Nutrition, Oversight and Department Operations, at a hearing on a proposed USDA rule that would restrict states’ ability to issue waivers for some able-bodied adults without dependents from food stamp time limits and work requirements.

OPINION — In the awkward aftermath of the Green New Deal’s rollout, perhaps the most appropriate question for its supporters, especially the Democratic presidential field, is one often posed by tennis bad boy John McEnroe: “You cannot be serious!”

But, apparently, when New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Massachusetts Sen. Edward Markey introduced their proposal in February, they were deadly serious, and breathless progressives couldn’t wait to hop aboard the climate change express. First in line, the Democratic presidential candidates in the Senate who were eager to offer up their enthusiastic support.

ANALYSIS — Is the Democratic race for president — and possibly even the 2020 general election — going to boil down to a choice of aged front-runners (or incumbent) versus a younger challenger who represents generational change? It’s certainly possible.

President Donald Trump, the oldest person ever to assume the presidency when he was inaugurated in 2017, turns 72 in June. It wouldn’t be without precedent if Democratic voters — and eventually the electorate as a whole — saw the 2020 election as an opportunity to make a statement about the future and generational change.

OPINION — Here’s a conundrum facing the country: From the 1960s through the ’90s, women entered the U.S. workforce and earned college degrees in rising proportions. Then, around 2000, something changed.

Women continued to strive in higher education, earning college degrees of all types — and they now lead men by solid margins. But the percentage of women seeking full-time employment began to diminish, a retreat that has puzzled analysts since.

Lori Trahan felt a rush of nerves as she accepted her first fare as an Uber driver. Seeking to find out why the ride-hailing service lacked female drivers, the then-consultant found herself about to let a total stranger into her car. A new, potentially unknown location popped up for her to drive to, with little time to adjust and a waiting passenger in the back seat.

“There’s definitely that first-time hurdle where you hit the accept and you’re driving to pick up someone new and there’s an adrenaline and there’s an anxiety that goes along with that,” said Trahan, now the congresswoman from Massachusetts’ 3rd District. “The second you get over that, it’s unbelievable that after you do it once so much of that hesitation and that reticence, it just melts away.”