NewsNation political contributor Chris Cillizza explained Tuesday why he thinks Democratic New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is seriously considering a 2028 presidential bid.
Ocasio-Cortez told reporters Monday that she would not pursue the leading Democratic role on the House Oversight Committee, suggesting the caucus prioritizes “seniority” too much for her to assume the position, Politico reported. Cillizza said on his YouTube channel that Ocasio-Cortez’s decision and her rhetoric surrounding it signal a shift toward higher ambitions. (RELATED: Tim Walz Appears To Snipe At Any Kamala Harris 2028 Ambitions)
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“I am more convinced than ever before that she is probably now pointed toward the presidential race as opposed to staying in Congress, right? Because I think she is frustrated — I think somewhat understandably — that someone like her, who is very high-profile, is clearly a star,” Cillizza said. “Whether you agree or disagree with her, she has star quality, charismatic, has shown she can perform on the biggest stages, that she is sort of being held back because she’s 35 … And I think that that’s a big tell, right? Because if Ocasio-Cortez wanted to kind of mount the leadership ladder over time, this would be a really good perch to do it.”
“So it seems to me that her decision to not seek this — and it wasn’t a guarantee, she wasn’t guaranteed to get this oversight job — but I think she would have probably been the favorite. Internal caucus politics are weird,” he continued. “It suggests to me, again, that she’s probably pointed toward running for president come 2028. Now, she could just take a pass on this but want to continue to ascend the House ladder in terms of leadership and seniority — maybe. But this seems to me that that’s not going to happen.”
Cillizza noted Ocasio-Cortez could run for Senate in 2028, but that she would likely face similar “seniority” issues in that body.
“If I’m reading the tea leaves, it looks to me like she is starting to point toward 2028. The amount of money she raised— millions and millions of dollars she raised in the first three months of the year. The tour she went on with [independent Vermont Sen.] Bernie Sanders across the country, this ‘Fighting Oligarchy tour.’ The video that she put out after the tour that very clearly felt like a kind of progressive 2028 message,” he said. “This move — it all seems to add up to me that she is kind of more interested, or at least leaning in the direction of running for president in 2028 rather than staying in Congress, whether that’s in the House or running for Senate in 2028.”
Cillizza also said he believes Ocasio-Cortez would be “a top-tier candidate” if she seeks the presidency.
Ocasio-Cortez garnered the most support — 10% —from Democratic-aligned adults when asked in a March 16 CNN/SSRS poll which leader “best reflects the core values” of the Democratic Party.
NewsNation host Chris Cuomo disagreed that Ocasio-Cortez would be a formidable 2028 candidate during an April episode of his podcast “The Chris Cuomo Project.
“AOC has done nothing meaningful in Congress. She’s done it all on social media, and she’s one of your leading names and who’s going to be president,” Cuomo said at the time. “Do you not get this concept of 80/20? She’s an 80/20 loser all day long. Why? She is clearly catering to a minority … She’s not about solutions. She wants government to give you everything. She’s a socialist in a capitalist society. What are you thinking?”
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