Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) has gone from being considered a far-left backbencher when she was first elected in 2018, to one of the Democratic Party's most prominent rising stars — and with that has come swirling questions and rumors about whether she plans to seek higher office.
Former Barack Obama campaign strategist David Axelrod asked her about precisely that during an interview at the University of Chicago Institute of Politics — and she gave an answer that wowed many observers.
"There are a lot of people who would like you to run for president in 2028," said Axelrod. "And there are others who would like you to run for the Senate."
"In this op-ed that Bezos paid for in The Washington Post, there was a veiled threat — it was the elite saying if you want this job, you just stepped out of line," said Ocasio-Cortez. "What’s funny about that is they assume my ambition is positional. They assume my ambition is a title or a seat. My ambition is way bigger than that. My ambition is to change this country. Presidents come and go, elected officials come and go, single payer healthcare is forever."
This answer caused a massive stir among commenters on social media.
"Pope Leo XIV repeatedly states that health care is a universal human right," wrote religion commentator and former Democratic National Committee delegate Christopher Hale.
"Probably the best answer anyone has given to this question ... in a very very long time," wrote former Biden administration press secretary and MS NOW host Jen Psaki.
"Well that’s one of the most compelling answers to that question I’ve ever heard," wrote former Obama speechwriter and podcaster Jon Favreau.
"The reason Republicans are so freaked out by @AOC is because they know when normie Americans of any party hear her speak like this, they all agree with her," wrote Zeteo News editor-in-chief Mehdi Hasan.
