Is AOC poised to be the Democrats' Trump?

Victor Joecks on Nov 4, 2025

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is both radical and unqualified to be president. But she still has a clear path to winning the Democratic presidential nomination.

On Tuesday, Socialist Zohran Mamdani will likely become the next mayor of New York City. He wants a rent freeze, city-owned grocery stores and a $30-an-hour minimum wage.

He once expressed his support for "seizing the means of production." In 2020, he wrote on Twitter, "The NYPD is racist, anti-queer and a major threat to public safety." He wants taxpayer-funded gender mutilation surgeries.

His extreme positions haven't hurt him politically. Polling suggests socialism is exactly what younger liberal voters want. This is what happens when public schools and colleges spend decades indoctrinating students in anti-American ideologies like critical race theory. America's most credentialed young people don't understand basic economics. They've learned America is evil, not the greatest country in human history. They're ignorant of socialism's long record of failure.

This is where Democratic leaders should have stepped in and rebuked their left flank. Instead, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and New York Gov. Kathy Hochul endorsed him.

Mamdani's rise shows Ocasio-Cortez has a clear path to the Democrats' 2028 presidential nomination if she decides to run. Here's why.

Look back at the Democrats' 2020 primary process. Pete Buttigieg won in Iowa, but Sen. Bernie Sanders was a close second. Sanders topped the field in New Hampshire. He dominated in Nevada, although former President Joe Biden came in second. Thanks to decades of work and being former President Barack Obama's vice president, Biden had strong support among black voters. That powered him to victory in South Carolina. Fearing Sanders would lose to President Donald Trump, the Democratic Party establishment rallied around Biden and secured him the nomination.

Since 2020, Democrats haven't repudiated Sanders' socialism. They've sought to implement it. In 2021, Biden signed a stimulus bill that could have been written by a Sanders administration. It led to massive inflation. The party has grown more radical on issues like open borders and supporting men in women's sports, too.

The endorsements of Mamdani are evidence that establishment Democrats have bent their knees to the socialists. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer went along with a strategically reckless government shutdown for the same reason. He fears his left flank.

And Sanders -- who nearly won the 2020 nomination in a less radical party -- is passing the socialist torch to AOC.

If she runs, that will likely give her at least 30% of the Democratic base once the election gets closer. Now, if she faced a single strong opponent, that wouldn't be enough to win. But the field looks crowded. Expect Gov. Gavin Newsom, Pete Buttigieg, Gov. J.B. Pritzker, Gov. Josh Shapiro, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and even Kamala Harris to test the waters.

Democrats' 2028 presidential primary could end up like Republicans' 2016 primary. Trump captured a sizable portion of the Republican base with his celebrity and hardline stance on immigration.

Initially, his opponents largely went after each other. Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio seemed to believe they could beat Trump one-on-one if only they could outlast the other contenders. Instead, Trump racked up victories and unstoppable momentum.

In this scenario, AOC would be like Trump, although his ideas and leadership skills far surpass hers. Newsom could probably beat her head-to-head. But it's not just Republicans who've noticed how sleazy the California governor is. As Newsom faces attacks, Sanders will be busy hyping AOC. Newsom will fear going after her radicalism and inexperience, worried about offending voters he'd need in a general election.

Republicans shouldn't be laughing too hard. As Trump himself proved in 2016, it's a mistake to assume the nominee of a major party has no chance of winning.

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Victor Joecks is a columnist for the Las Vegas Review-Journal and host of the Sharpening Arrows podcast. Email him at vjoecks@reviewjournal.com or follow @victorjoecks on X. To find out more about Victor Joecks and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.

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