I'd vote for AOC, but she's not ready to be president. Yet. | Opinion

Democrats have a laundry list of options for their 2028 presidential candidate, and none of them are particularly dazzling.

So when Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-New York, didn’t cross out the possibility that she would run for the presidency on May 8, I should have been elated. Right?

"My ambition is to change this country,” she said during a conversation with David Axelrod at a University of Chicago event. “Presidents come and go. Senate, House seats, and elected officials come and go. But single-payer health care is forever, a living wage is forever, workers' rights are forever, women's rights, all of that.”

Voters seem enthusiastic about the possibility of her running for president. A recent Atlas National Poll shows the Bronx-based representative ahead of former transportation secretary Pete Buttigieg, California Gov. Gavin Newsom, and former Vice President Kamala Harris amongst Democratic voters in a possible 2028 primary lineup, garnering 26% support.

Yet despite my general admiration of Ocasio-Cortez and my belief that she’s the natural heir to the legacy of Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vermont, I don’t know if she should run for president.

Not right now, at least.

It’s not that I disagree with her on policy or doubt her ability to mobilize voters. What I doubt is her ability to win over the electorate this early in her career. I think she should set her sights on a different 2028 Democratic primary: the one against Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, who also represents New York. Schumer has proven over the course of both of Donald Trump's presidencies that he is not fit to unite the party and challenge Republicans in any meaningful way. It's time for someone new to lead New York and the national Democratic Party.

The case against AOC for president

The Democratic options for president thus far are moderates who have spent their time standing up to President Trump, but also carry significant baggage. 

There’s Harris, who I think is haunted by her 2024 presidential run and her ties to former President Joe Biden. There’s Newsom, who comes off as a slimeball but has had some of the strongest messaging against Trump in recent years. Then there’s Buttigieg, who has been an unstoppable force on Fox News but has only held elected office as the mayor of South Bend, Indiana. I can find hesitations with any of these candidates, as I’m sure many other Democratic voters can.

Of the candidates we know are weighing their chances, Ocasio-Cortez is by far my favorite. She’s one of the most popular Democrats in the country: YouGov polling shows that she has a 41% approval rating. She is one of the faces of the party, as exemplified by Republicans’ need to bring her up in ads in the current midterm cycle.

She’s exceptional at explaining what she believes in and how this country could achieve it. The problem is that she’s still relatively green in politics and doesn’t have the legislative track record to back up her case for president.

She has been able to secure some key wins, like expanding the Child Tax Credit in the American Rescue Plan back in 2021, but she hasn’t been in Congress long enough to really change the government landscape. The Green New Deal, one of her most memorable pieces of legislation, has not been passed. Of the 11 bills she introduced in the 118th Congress, none have become law. A president needs to have wins they can point to, and Ocasio-Cortez has very few.

AOC should primary Chuck Schumer – and take control of the Democratic Party

Where she could be useful, however, is right here in New York. She has a vision for the Democratic Party that aligns with the progressives in New York City and the political prowess to win over more moderate Democrats upstate. She has brought wins back to the Bronx, like securing $7 million in funding for community projects in her congressional district in 2022. Aside from her wins, she has an ability to explain bureaucracy in a way that resonates with voters – and would make her a fitting face of the Democratic Party.

I hope to see Ocasio-Cortez run for president one day. She has the messaging, the policy proposals, the fundraising skills, the popularity, and the ambition. I would gladly vote for her for president at some point, and of all the potential 2028 Democratic candidates being floated in the media, she is by far my favorite. I just don’t think it’s her time. 

If she were to run for president and lose the nomination, her political career would stagnate. New York allows candidates to run for Congress and the presidency simultaneously, but it would be exhausting to run dual campaigns. As someone who wants to see her political career continue, I think that the inevitable loss of the Democratic nomination or the presidential election would be a huge blow.

The Senate, on the other hand, feels like a natural step toward an eventual run for president. She’s beloved by New Yorkers and would give Schumer a run for his money. She has what it takes to be the progressive leader the Democrats deserve. She just needs more time to become who she’s meant to be.

Follow USA TODAY columnist Sara Pequeño on Bluesky:@sarapequeno.bsky.social