FiveThirtyEight founder and prominent pollster Nate Silver has a bold take: Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., is most likely the next Democratic presidential candidate.
In a video posted to his “Silver Bulletin” website on Wednesday, Silver and political podcaster Galen Druke came up with draft picks for the Democratic Party’s next presidential nominee and settled on AOC being the strongest contender.
“My first pick of the first-round draft is Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez,” Druke said.
“F— you! That was going to be my f—ing first pick!,” Silver responded, adding, “We both are on the AOC bus.” Earlier, he said his first pick likely had at best a “20% chance” to be the nominee, indicating it was far from a confident prediction.
Democrats are scrambling for a new identity. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is racing to fill that vacuum with a party rooted in Sen. Bernie Sanders’ left-wing populism.
Why it matters: Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) is drawing tens of thousands of people to her rallies with Sanders — even in red states. She’s breaking her own fundraising records, and surging in early polling of potential 2028 presidential candidates.
It feels to many top Democrats like she’s grabbing Sanders’ torch as a progressive leader — and that he’s intentionally passing it to her. The two kindred spirits deny it.
Her rise comes as the Democratic Party base is increasingly agitated by the party’s inability to push back against the Trump administration’s sweeping agenda — and is searching for a champion to fight back.
https://www.axios.com/2025/04/21/aoc-bernie-sanders-progressives-democrats