AOC presidential buzz grows amid blockbuster crowds, fundraising
Polling guru Nate Silver on Thursday even predicted Ocasio-Cortez, D-New York, will be the next Democratic nominee for the White House.
'I thought I was gonna surprise everyone by taking AOC first,' Silver tweeted, referring to the fact that his colleague Galen Druke also placed Ocasio-Cortez on top of his own early 2028 list. 'That was going to be my … first pick,' he added.
Silver and Druke agreed Ocasio-Cortez has the charisma and popularity to make a huge splash in the still-embryonic Democratic White House race, citing her impressive polling and fundraising numbers.
'There's a lot of points in her favor at this very moment,' Druke said on the Silver Bulletin Substack podcast. 'Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has broad appeal across the Democratic Party.'
Ocasio-Cortez, 35, who represents parts of the Bronx and Queens in Congress, has remarkably high name recognition and popularity among Democratic voters nationwide.
She recently smashed her own fundraising record by raking in $9.6 million in the first quarter of 2025 for her congressional reelection campaign.
The impressive haul included average donations of $21 and 266,000 individual donors, nearly two-thirds of whom were first-time givers, figures that reflect wide and growing appeal among voters.
Ocasio-Cortez is headlining a string of major political rallies alongside Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vermont, drawing overflow crowds of more than 10,000 in deep-red states like Utah, Idaho and Montana.
In a possible preview of a White House pitch, Ocasio-Cortez touted herself as a former waitress who knows how to turn the political establishment on its head.
'I know that it can look or feel impossible sometimes out here for the Republicans to be defeated, but that is not true,' Ocasio-Cortez said. 'From the waitress who is now speaking to you today, I can tell you: impossible is nothing.'
Ocasio-Cortez, who only recently became old enough to serve as president, had already been mentioned as a potential candidate for the U.S. Senate seat held by Sen. Chuck Schumer, who faces reelection in 2028.
Former Vice President Kamala Harris has topped most Democratic White House lists, although she is said to be leaning towards running for governor of California.
Harris' running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz is also thought to be testing the presidential waters, along with former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and governors Andy Beshear of Kentucky, Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania and Michigan's Gretchen Whitmer.
_____
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
USA Today
2 minutes ago
- USA Today
California redistricting vote begins with overwhelming support, Newsom pollster says
Newsom has called for a Nov. 4 special election on the new maps. The California state legislature, where Democrats have a supermajority, would first need to vote to put the measure before the voters. WASHINGTON ― California Gov. Gavin Newsom's redistricting proposal aimed at creating five new Democratic congressional seats begins with overwhelming support ahead of a planned November referendum when voters would decide its fate, according to a survey conducted by his longtime pollster. The proposal is backed by 57% of California voters and opposed by 35%, the poll taken by Democratic pollster David Binder found, according to a report by Axios. Another 8% of voters in the heavily Democratic state said they were undecided. Newsom has portrayed his mid-term redistricting push as necessary to offset Texas Gov. Greg Abbott's pursuit to create five new Republican congressional districts in Texas. President Donald Trump has publicly lobbied for the gerrymandering in Texas to boost Republican chances in the 2026 midterm elections. Newsom last week called for a Nov. 4 special election on the new maps. The California state legislature, where Democrats have a supermajority, would first need to vote to put the measure before the voters. The poll found 84% of California's Democratic voters support the redistricting plan while 79% of the state's Republicans oppose it. The 57% in overall support for the redistricting plan is a jump from the 51% who said they backed redrawing California's congressional maps in a July poll. California currently has 43 congressional seats held by Democrats and nine by Republicans. The creation of five new Democratic-friendly districts could sway California's delegation to a 48-5 advantage for Democrats. Yet the move comes with risk for Democrats because it might create several competitive seats that Republicans could target. "I know they say, 'Don't mess with Texas,'" Newsom, widely considered a potential presidential candidate in 2028, quipped at a Democratic rally kicking off the redistricting campaign last week. "Well, don't mess with the great Golden State." California has an independent redistricting commission that is designed to limit partisan influence on the map-drawing process, but Newsom said the measure would allow a new process to draw maps that would go into effect for House elections in 2026, 2028, and 2030, before ceding power back to the commission to draw maps ahead of 2032. Redistricting in all states is required by federal law every 10 years following the release of new U.S. Census Bureau figures; however, Trump pushed Texas Republicans to jumpstart the process in the middle of the decade, setting off a cross-country redistricting fight. Redistricting efforts are also ongoing in Florida and Ohio that could benefit Republicans, while Republican-controlled Indiana and Missouri are also discussing redrawing their maps. Control of the U.S. House of Representatives at stake, with Republicans currently holding a 219-212 majority. Contributing: Erin Mansfield of USA TODAY Reach Joey Garrison on X @joeygarrison.
Yahoo
4 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Ohio must redraw its congressional maps in 2025: What's next in that process
COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) — As high-stakes redistricting battles erupt nationwide, an Ohio coalition is stepping back into the spotlight to fend off partisan gerrymandering. The Equal Districts Coalition — a statewide alliance of environmental, education, civil rights and several other advocacy groups — announced last week it's relaunching to demand fair congressional maps in Ohio, just as lawmakers in Texas and California are also drawing fire for threatening to manipulate political boundaries ahead of the 2026 election. While Texas Republicans are pushing for a mid-decade redraw to expand their congressional edge, California Gov. Gavin Newsom is signaling he will abandon the state's independent redistricting commission in retaliation. Sherrod Brown's first interview on 2026 Senate run: The 'system got worse' Ohio is unique in being the only state required to redraw its congressional map in 2025, a legal consequence of the 2022 map's adoption without bipartisan support under redistricting reform laws. Such maps last only four years; the new map will govern congressional elections through 2030 and likely shape the battleground for control of the U.S. House. 'Ohio is the only state required to redraw its congressional map this year because the last one was gerrymandered so badly,' Equal Districts spokesperson Bria Bennett said. 'Without transparency and public pressure, politicians will use this process to lock in partisan power and set a national gerrymandering playbook. We're here to make sure voters, and not politicians, decide our future.' Procedural roadmap Under Ohio's constitutional redistricting process, the legislature has until roughly Sept. 30 to pass a congressional map with a three‑fifths majority, including support from both parties. If that fails, the Ohio Redistricting Commission steps in with only a month to agree. If that also fails, the legislature makes a simple‑majority map, but it then lasts only four years. The current commission is dominated by Republicans, holding five of seven seats, and the Ohio Supreme Court now leans heavily conservative, making legal challenges more uncertain than in past cycles. After Issue 1's defeat The Equal Districts' relaunch follows the defeat of 2024's Issue 1, a proposed constitutional amendment that aimed to create an independent redistricting commission in Ohio. The ballot measure, backed by several of the same groups now involved in the coalition, was pitched as a solution to end partisan gerrymandering. Supreme Court appeal reignites push to repeal Ohio's same-sex marriage ban Issue 1 was rejected at the polls after a heated and expensive campaign in which opponents framed the measure as an unnecessary overhaul of the current system. The failure of Issue 1 left the existing redistricting structure intact, but Equal Districts is betting that a more organized, informed, and vocal public can still make a decisive difference in shaping what comes next. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Solve the daily Crossword
Fox News
10 minutes ago
- Fox News
Texas GOP lawmakers poised to finalize Trump-backed map after Dem redistricting walkout ends
The Texas legislature is poised to take up a new congressional redistricting bill put forward by Republicans on Wednesday, following weeks of pushback from Democrats. It is unclear how quickly Republicans will be able to vote on the redistricting plan, as it must go through floor debate before coming to a vote. It is a victory for Republicans, nevertheless, as Democrats who fled the state in an effort to block the plan are now back in the capitol. If passed, the new congressional map would likely flip five seats currently held by Democrats over to Republicans, a reality that has unleashed cries of gerrymandering across the country. New York Gov. Kathy Hochul has vowed to "fight fire with fire," saying New York Democrats will pursue their own redistricting plan. California Gov. Gavin Newsom has followed suit, with the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) proposing a California congressional map that would flip five Republican seats over to Democrats. Meanwhile, more Republican states, including Ohio, Florida, Indiana and Missouri, are moving forward with or considering their own redistricting efforts, as are Democratic states such as Maryland and Illinois. Nowhere has a redistricting battle been more dramatic than in Texas, however, where roughly 50 Democratic state lawmakers absconded from a special legislative session to block the vote in early August. Democrats fled to Illinois and New York, but they faced a $500 fine for each day they refused to return home. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, a Republican, and other state officials hit the Democratic legislators with lawsuits seeking criminal charges or to have them removed from office entirely. The walkout ended when Democrats returned on Monday, saying they had accomplished their goals of blocking a vote during the first special legislative session and persuading Democrats in other states to take retaliatory steps.
