The Memo: AOC 2028? Dems feel trepidation and excitement over Ocasio-Cortez

Speculation about a presidential run by Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) in 2028 is rising to its highest pitch yet — and some people are putting their money on it.

AOC, as she is commonly known, now leads the field for the Democratic presidential nomination on the two best-known betting markets, Kalshi and Polymarket.

Even if opinion polls tell a different story — most of them placing her third behind former Vice President Kamala Harris and California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) — the idea of a presidential bid by the 36-year-old New Yorker is no longer confined to the realm of leftist wish-casting.

Asked about the possibility during an appearance on ABC’s “This Week” last Sunday, Ocasio-Cortez left the door wide open.

“I haven’t ruled out the possibility. And I’m very humbled by the tremendous amount of support out there,” she said.

There is no doubt that Ocasio-Cortez would be a serious contender if she entered the race. 

One of just a handful of true political celebrities, she has especially strong backing among younger progresses. The intensity of her support means she would have no problem raising money. And, when it comes to communication, her ease with social media is unparalleled among major 2028 prospects.

All of this has been true of Ocasio-Cortez for several years, however. 

What’s new is that leftist victories in a series of prominent primaries — including Abdul El-Sayed in Michigan and Peggy Flanagan in Minnesota within the past two weeks — have created the sense of a progressive wave. It’s plausible that Ocasio-Cortez could ride that wave into a national election.

Even some voices on the right are — without sarcasm — acknowledging that she has a decent chance right now of at least winning the Democratic nomination. 

Jim Geraghty, writing in the conservative National Review on Friday, argued........

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