Hard-left Democrats have reportedly been pushing for Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) to run for president in 2028.
A report from Axios indicates that those Democrats view the young socialist as a replacement for the candidacy of Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT). Behind the scenes, allies of Ocasio-Cortez (AOC) said that she would have an opportunity to boost her national profile if she runs, potentially polling in the top five of candidates and raising well over $100 million in campaign funds.
“There’s a window of opportunity for a left-wing nominee that may not come again for a generation. Democratic-socialist and liberal victories in New York City and elsewhere — with potentially more this fall — have changed the political playing field,” noted Axios.
Even if her candidacy failed, supporters of Ocasio-Cortez said that she would likely highlight issues they care most about, like universal health care, adding that she could even use it to potentially run for U.S. Senator in New York after Democrat Minority Leader Chuck Schumer retires or even challenge him in a primary.
“I think she’ll plan to run for both and end up a senator,” said one strategist.
Ari Rabin-Havt, a deputy campaign manager for Sanders in 2020, said that AOC “has earned her place as the top dog” for the hard left, adding that “if she does run, she obviously becomes the biggest star and sucks up the oxygen in that lane.”
In the meantime, Ocasio-Cortez has not expressed any interest in running for president in 2028. Other hard-left Democrats, like Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA), have also positioned themselves as potential flagbearers of the Sanders legacy.
“You have to give Ro credit: He’s worked his ass off to put himself in this position and has done what’s most comparable to Bernie pre-Bernie 2016,” Rabin-Havt said.
Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) has also been floated as a possible successor to Bernie Sanders.
