Far-left Democrats have reportedly been pushing for Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) to run for president in 2028.
An Axios report indicates that those Democrats see the young socialist as a replacement for the candidacy of Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT). Behind the scenes, allies of Ocasio-Cortez (AOC) said she would have the opportunity to raise her national profile if she runs, which could put her in the top five candidates and raise more than $100 million in campaign funds.
“There is a window of opportunity for a left-wing candidate who may not run again for a generation. Democratic-socialist and liberal victories in New York City and elsewhere (and potentially more this fall) have changed the political playing field,” Axios noted.
Even if her bid were to fail, Ocasio-Cortez supporters said she would likely highlight the issues they care about most, such as universal health care, adding that she could even use it to run for U.S. Senator in New York after Democratic Minority Leader Chuck Schumer retires or even challenge him in a primary.
“I think she plans to run for both and end up as a senator,” one strategist said.
Ari Rabin-Havt, Sanders’ 2020 deputy campaign manager, said AOC “has earned her place as a leader” of the hard left, adding that “if she runs, she will obviously become the biggest star and suck up the oxygen in that lane.”
Meanwhile, Ocasio-Cortez has not expressed any interest in running for president in 2028. Other far-left Democrats, such as Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA), have also positioned themselves as potential standard-bearers for Sanders’ legacy.
“You have to give Ro credit: he has worked hard to put himself in this position and he has done what is most comparable to Bernie before Bernie 2016,” Rabin-Havt said.
Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) has also been proposed as a possible successor to Bernie Sanders.
