AOC: The Next President of the United States?
AOC for President?: Following the slow-motion collapse of Joe Biden’s presidency, and the election loss of Kamala Harris in 2024, the Democratic Party is looking for new leadership for a new era. Could they turn to Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez or AOC?
The New York Congresswoman, who upset many-term incumbent Rep. Joe Crowley to win her seat in 2018, has long been on something of the periphery of the party, and seen as a bit of an insurgent. But at a time of fatigue with the establishment of the party, an insurgency may be what the Democrats need.
AOC has been on the road with Bernie Sanders of late, on what they call the “Fighting Oligarchy” tour that has been drawing massive crowds in big cities, and drawing clear crowd energy at a time when many on the Democratic side are struggling with exactly how to respond to the second Trump era, AOC and Sanders’ tour has found that energy.
And with Sanders 83 years old and unlikely to ever run for president again speculation has risen that AOC could inherit Sanders’ mantle as the head of the left flank of the party, with a presidential run in 2028.
The Upside of AOC in 2028
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is undoubtedly a talented politician who is good at connecting with crowds. She is social-media-savvy, at a time when the Democratic Party has struggled with that aspect of retail politics. She is a rare prominent figure in the party who does not come from what’s commonly called the “professional-managerial class,” and despite numerous online conspiracy theories, AOC is not and has never been a person of wealth.
Following the bad end of the Biden presidency, and at a time when older figures are in many key positions in the Democratic Party, AOC is only 35- someone who wasn’t even eligible to run for president until recently.
Despite drawing a great deal of hate from conservatives who dislike her and underestimate her intelligence, Ocasio-Cortez is savvy when it comes to the policy realm, and often holds her own in Congressional hearings.
It’s not hard to imagine AOC running for president and catching fire with a Democratic electorate that has been offered more of the same for a long period, and is looking for something different- much as the GOP was looking for something different when Donald Trump came along in the 2016 cycle.
AOC would be, of course, the first woman president, and also the first president of Puerto-Rican descent, and the youngest president.
On the Other Hand…
Rep. Ocasio-Cortez has said multiple times in interviews over the years that she is not all that interested in a presidential run, and enjoys the legislative process.
But if she did run, there are reasons to believe that Ocasio-Cortez would have a difficult time securing the Democratic nomination.
For one thing, she came up in politics through New York’s chapter of Democratic Socialists of America (DSA). And while her relationship with the group has deteriorated over the years, including an unendorsement from them last year, the word “Socialist” can be a dirty word in politics.
AOC screenshot from 2020 Democratic National Convention in 2020.
There were various times, most notably in 2020 when the establishment of the Democratic Party lined up to defeat Sanders, and there are reasons to think they would do so again if AOC runs and looks like she has a chance to win. Ocasio-Cortez would likely run based on the support of small-dollar donors, with the majority of the party’s donor class opposing her.
The Big Questions
Politico wrote this week about the big questions that surround AOC’s possible presidential bid.
“The only way she ends up running is if things continue the way they’re going, where it’s just going down this dark path and no one really steps up,” a person familiar with her thinking told Politico. “And she kind of gets pressured into it, like she just feels it’s her moral obligation to do it.”
About the Author: Stephen Silver
Stephen Silver is an award-winning journalist, essayist and film critic, and contributor to the Philadelphia Inquirer, the Jewish Telegraphic Agency, Broad Street Review and Splice Today. The co-founder of the Philadelphia Film Critics Circle, Stephen lives in suburban Philadelphia with his wife and two sons. For over a decade, Stephen has authored thousands of articles that focus on politics, technology, and the economy. Follow him on X (formerly Twitter) at @StephenSilver, and subscribe to his Substack newsletter.
