Democrats are desperately searching for new leaders. AOC is stepping into the void.

[Passages]

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is hitting the road with Bernie Sanders this week as even once-skeptical Democrats seek to elevate the progressive star in their fight against Trump.


March 20, 2025, 5:00 AM EDT
By Ryan Nobles, Melanie Zanona and Jonathan Allen

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., is stepping into the Democrats’ leadership void, picking up her powerful megaphone to channel the base’s anger — toward both President Donald Trump and her own party.

Some of the initial skepticism in the party around the progressive star when she first arrived in Washington six years ago has started to fade as she has established herself as a political player on Capitol Hill and demonstrated a unique knack for communicating with a younger generation.

As Democrats scramble to find an authentic and effective messenger for the second Trump administration, there is a growing desire to elevate Ocasio-Cortez, 35, within the party in some way, according to interviews with a dozen Democratic lawmakers, aides and strategists — especially after last week’s government spending showdown left the base enraged.

Ocasio-Cortez was one of the most outspoken Democrats in torching Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., for allowing a Republican funding bill to advance in the Senate to avoid a shutdown. Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif, publicly urged Ocasio-Cortez to launch a primary challenge against Schumer in 2028 if he runs for re-election, and several House Democrats told NBC News that her colleagues also privately pushed her to do so at a party retreat last week.

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/congress/democrats-desperately-searching-new-leaders-aoc-stepping-void-rcna196816