Should Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Run for President in 2028?
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The Debate
/ March 12, 2026
Should Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Run for President in 2028?
David Faris argues that the New York representative is the new national leader the Democrats need, but Daraka Larimore-Hall claims she can get more done in Congress.
David Faris and Daraka Larimore-Hall
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Whither AOC?(Sean Gallup / Getty)
Yes!
This article appears in the
April 2026 issue, with the headline “Should Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Run for President in 2028?”
New York Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is, by a considerable margin, the most talented, charismatic, and visionary young politician in a party that desperately needs a transformative new national leader.
No one represents the emerging ideology of the Democratic Party better than AOC, and no one is better at articulating that vision in public, on social media, and in Congress. If we hope to build a successful movement for social democracy, at some point the Democrats must give their presidential nomination to someone who both believes in it and can sell it to the broader electorate.
As a former bartender and someone who graduated from college tens of thousands of dollars in debt, AOC better represents ordinary Americans and the future demographics of the party than whatever soulless, consultant-backed concoction the Democrats’ elderly leadership will surely try to foist on us in 2028. Unlike most members of Congress, AOC isn’t a lawyer, an independently wealthy tech baron, or someone who spent years climbing the rungs of her party’s hierarchy. She isn’t a product of the well-worn Ivy League–to-district-attorney-to-senator pipeline. Her life experience as a normal human being is a central feature of her national appeal.
She also fixes the chief weakness of the progressive movement’s outgoing leader, Senator Bernie Sanders, who often surrounded himself with people who publicly despised the Democratic Party and unwittingly alienated older primary voters who uncritically love it. While she’s no “vote blue no matter who” automaton, AOC recognizes that constantly slagging the Democratic Party while trying to appeal to its most dedicated voters is a losing strategy. In Congress, AOC has proved to be a pragmatist who can navigate the byzantine internal politics of the House without sacrificing the core of her ideology or her viral appeal.
Of course, electability fetishists are already fine-tuning their playbook against AOC, and they will surely tell us that the “safe” choice is a moderate white guy eager to bash trans folks and tack right on immigration. Critics will focus on AOC’s perceived disadvantages, including her status as …
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Should Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Run for President in 2028?
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Current Issue
The Debate
/ March 12, 2026
Should Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Run for President in 2028?
David Faris argues that the New York representative is the new national leader the Democrats need, but Daraka Larimore-Hall claims she can get more done in Congress.
David Faris and Daraka Larimore-Hall
Share
Copy Link
X (Twitter)
Bluesky Pocket
Ad Policy
Whither AOC?(Sean Gallup / Getty)
Yes!
This article appears in the
April 2026 issue, with the headline “Should Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Run for President in 2028?”
New York Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is, by a considerable margin, the most talented, charismatic, and visionary young politician in a party that desperately needs a transformative new national leader.
No one represents the emerging ideology of the Democratic Party better than AOC, and no one is better at articulating that vision in public, on social media, and in Congress. If we hope to build a successful movement for social democracy, at some point the Democrats must give their presidential nomination to someone who both believes in it and can sell it to the broader electorate.
As a former bartender and someone who graduated from college tens of thousands of dollars in debt, AOC better represents ordinary Americans and the future demographics of the party than whatever soulless, consultant-backed concoction the Democrats’ elderly leadership will surely try to foist on us in 2028. Unlike most members of Congress, AOC isn’t a lawyer, an independently wealthy tech baron, or someone who spent years climbing the rungs of her party’s hierarchy. She isn’t a product of the well-worn Ivy League–to-district-attorney-to-senator pipeline. Her life experience as a normal human being is a central feature of her national appeal.
She also fixes the chief weakness of the progressive movement’s outgoing leader, Senator Bernie Sanders, who often surrounded himself with people who publicly despised the Democratic Party and unwittingly alienated older primary voters who uncritically love it. While she’s no “vote blue no matter who” automaton, AOC recognizes that constantly slagging the Democratic Party while trying to appeal to its most dedicated voters is a losing strategy. In Congress, AOC has proved to be a pragmatist who can navigate the byzantine internal politics of the House without sacrificing the core of her ideology or her viral appeal.
Of course, electability fetishists are already fine-tuning their playbook against AOC, and they will surely tell us that the “safe” choice is a moderate white guy eager to bash trans folks and tack right on immigration. Critics will focus on AOC’s perceived disadvantages, including her status as …
Should Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Run for President in 2028?
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Should Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Run for President in 2028?
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Current Issue
The Debate
/ March 12, 2026
Should Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Run for President in 2028?
David Faris argues that the New York representative is the new national leader the Democrats need, but Daraka Larimore-Hall claims she can get more done in Congress.
David Faris and Daraka Larimore-Hall
Share
Copy Link
Facebook
X (Twitter)
Bluesky Pocket
Email
Ad Policy
Whither AOC?(Sean Gallup / Getty)
Yes!
This article appears in the
April 2026 issue, with the headline “Should Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Run for President in 2028?”
New York Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is, by a considerable margin, the most talented, charismatic, and visionary young politician in a party that desperately needs a transformative new national leader.
No one represents the emerging ideology of the Democratic Party better than AOC, and no one is better at articulating that vision in public, on social media, and in Congress. If we hope to build a successful movement for social democracy, at some point the Democrats must give their presidential nomination to someone who both believes in it and can sell it to the broader electorate.
As a former bartender and someone who graduated from college tens of thousands of dollars in debt, AOC better represents ordinary Americans and the future demographics of the party than whatever soulless, consultant-backed concoction the Democrats’ elderly leadership will surely try to foist on us in 2028. Unlike most members of Congress, AOC isn’t a lawyer, an independently wealthy tech baron, or someone who spent years climbing the rungs of her party’s hierarchy. She isn’t a product of the well-worn Ivy League–to-district-attorney-to-senator pipeline. Her life experience as a normal human being is a central feature of her national appeal.
She also fixes the chief weakness of the progressive movement’s outgoing leader, Senator Bernie Sanders, who often surrounded himself with people who publicly despised the Democratic Party and unwittingly alienated older primary voters who uncritically love it. While she’s no “vote blue no matter who” automaton, AOC recognizes that constantly slagging the Democratic Party while trying to appeal to its most dedicated voters is a losing strategy. In Congress, AOC has proved to be a pragmatist who can navigate the byzantine internal politics of the House without sacrificing the core of her ideology or her viral appeal.
Of course, electability fetishists are already fine-tuning their playbook against AOC, and they will surely tell us that the “safe” choice is a moderate white guy eager to bash trans folks and tack right on immigration. Critics will focus on AOC’s perceived disadvantages, including her status as …
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