Ocasio-Cortez turns heads with answer to Axelrod about White House run

When Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) sat down with Democratic strategist David Axelrod at a Chicago event last week, she didn’t close the door on a White House bid. 

Ocasio-Cortez pushed back on the idea that her political aspirations are “positional,” telling Axelrod that people “assume my ambition is a title or a seat,” when her “ambition is way bigger than that.”

“My ambition is to change the country,” the representative known as AOC told Axelrod. “Presidents come and go … elected officials come and go. But single-payer healthcare is forever.” 

The comments immediately fueled fresh debate in Democratic circles over whether Ocasio-Cortez, once viewed by some in the party as a niche progressive firebrand, could be among the most viable candidates in the 2028 presidential race. 

“She spoke with the confidence of someone who understood the power of their voice nationally and the knowledge that she has the option to mount a national campaign should she ever choose to do that,” Democratic strategist Joel Payne said. “What is impressive is that she was able to assess her value beyond the office she holds.”

While Payne said Ocasio-Cortez’s remarks showed that she’s keeping her options open and isn’t in any rush to decide her next steps, “She’s going to walk into a presidential race, if she chooses to, with 20 percent of the base of the Democratic Party feeling good about her.” 

Another Democratic strategist agreed with that sentiment, adding that she would enter........

© The Hill