Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) has a "big decision" ahead of her — but no matter which path she chooses, she is positioning herself for a transformative role in politics, Axios' Alex Thompson broke down in a YouTube segment released on Thursday.
Ocasio-Cortez, one of the most successful politicians in the Democratic Party's left wing, has to decide whether to angle more towards a presidential run or a Senate run, Thompson argued.
On the presidential path, "she inherits much of [Vermont Sen.] Bernie Sanders' movement. She will raise $100 million without ever attending a single fundraiser. There are thousands of young people, especially across all the states, ready to volunteer for her," said Thompson — all of which would completely upend the race. On the other hand, should she do a Senate run, "Most New York Democrats I talked to believe she would easily defeat Chuck Schumer in a primary," which, since he is Democrats' Senate Leader, would completely reshape the upper chamber.
It's currently unclear which way she is leaning, said Thompson. "On one hand, she has campaigned in upstate New York, and she's been very careful to maintain her relationships within the state Democratic Party. But AOC has also made several moves that presidential candidates do."
Meanwhile, he added, she has issued endorsements in key races around the country, and also refined her message, distancing herself from what she calls "Woke 1," or an era, often defined as the late 2010s and 2020s, in which progressive politicians had such esoteric and fringe ways of talking about social justice that the average voter barely understood them.
No matter which path she chooses, said Thompson, one thing seems to be clear: she is trying a unity plan.
"She's riding a wave of disillusionment with the Democratic establishment," he said, in much the same way Sanders has. "But AOC is not Bernie. Bernie is an insurgent, and not always a team player. AOC wants to be a team player. In some ways, she has positioned herself as a bridge between the establishment and the Bernie insurgency. That is why AOC has a chance to become the Democratic nominee."