“Squad” Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is currently the most likely Democrat to lead the party’s presidential ticket in 2028 if she decides to run, election data whiz Nate Silver predicted.
Silver made his early call in the form of a “2028 Democratic primary draft” discussion on his “Silver Bulletin” Substack with former FiveThirtyEight podcast host Galen Druke.
“F— you” Silver quipped after Druke tapped Ocasio-Cortez as his first draft pick for the 2028 Dem primary. “That was going to be my f—ing first pick!”
Druke pointed to a recent Yale University poll that found Ocasio-Cortez had one of the highest net favorability ratings among Democrats with +60 points. That same poll put Osasio-Cortez in second place in a hypothetical 2028 Dem primary behind former Vice President Kamala Harris.
“I think there’s a lot of points in her favor at this very moment,” Druke explained. “Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has broad appeal across the Democratic Party.”
“I think equally important is the fact that she has very fervent support. I think a lot of people are gonna run in 2028 and it’s going to be a contest for attention and getting those sort of people who might be in your boat to turn out and stay with you through thick and thin.”
Silver replied that “I agree with everything,” Druke said, but caveated he doesn’t know that she’s “sure to run,” what will happen in the interim, or whether Democrats will have concerns about her electability.
Druke was more confident that the Bronz and Queens rep would seek the presidency in 2028, pointing to her “Fighting Oligarchy Tour” across the country with Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.)
“She has learned a lot as a politician since those early days opposing Amazon and especially those early days of the ‘Abolish ICE [Immigration and Customs Enforcement]’ stuff that was very unpopular,” he added. “Ultimately. If you listen to her message today, it’s all about the economy.”
