AOC seizes the moment as Dems seek a new identity
Democrats are scrambling for a new identity. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is racing to fill that vacuum with a party rooted in Sen. Bernie Sanders' left-wing populism.Why it matters: Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) is drawing tens of thousands of people to her rallies with Sanders — even in red states. She's breaking her own fundraising records, and surging in early polling of potential 2028 presidential candidates.
Driving the news: Ocasio-Cortez has been cheered like a political rock star over the past two weeks as she and Sanders (I-Vt.) barnstorm the country with mega-rallies for a "Fighting Oligarchy" tour.
She and Sanders have mobilized large crowds in conservative states, including Utah, Idaho and Montana. Thousands in Salt Lake City chanted "AOC! AOC! AOC!" as she left the stage.
In Idaho, a local union president said introducing Ocasio-Cortez was "the greatest honor of my life."
By the numbers: Ocasio-Cortez, 35, is among the most popular Democratic politicians.
She already has a national brand separate from the 83-year-old Sanders, thanks in part to a massive social media following. Not including the accounts she has for her office, she has 9.1 million followers on Instagram, 12.7 million on X, and 4 million on TikTok. Sanders has 7.6 million Instagram followers.
A recent YouGov poll found Ocasio-Cortez had a +61 approval rating among Democrats — the highest of any Democrat polled who hasn't run for president or vice president.
A Yale University survey released last week found Ocasio-Cortez in second place in a hypothetical Democratic presidential primary — behind only former Vice President Kamala Harris.
Ocasio-Cortez's fundraising has surged in the first months of Trump's administration. She can use the money to help potential allies, build a bigger organization — or save for a 2028 run for president or Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer's seat.
In the first three months of 2025, she raised $9.6 million — more than double what she'd ever raised in a quarter.
Sanders, who was just elected to his fourth six-year term, also tapped into grassroots energy to raise $11.4 million over the same period.
She and Sanders have mobilized large crowds in conservative states, including Utah, Idaho and Montana. Thousands in Salt Lake City chanted "AOC! AOC! AOC!" as she left the stage.
In Idaho, a local union president said introducing Ocasio-Cortez was "the greatest honor of my life."
By the numbers: Ocasio-Cortez, 35, is among the most popular Democratic politicians.
She already has a national brand separate from the 83-year-old Sanders, thanks in part to a massive social media following. Not including the accounts she has for her office, she has 9.1 million followers on Instagram, 12.7 million on X, and 4 million on TikTok. Sanders has 7.6 million Instagram followers.
A recent YouGov poll found Ocasio-Cortez had a +61 approval rating among Democrats — the highest of any Democrat polled who hasn't run for president or vice president.
A Yale University survey released last week found Ocasio-Cortez in second place in a hypothetical Democratic presidential primary — behind only former Vice President Kamala Harris.
Ocasio-Cortez's fundraising has surged in the first months of Trump's administration. She can use the money to help potential allies, build a bigger organization — or save for a 2028 run for president or Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer's seat.
In the first three months of 2025, she raised $9.6 million — more than double what she'd ever raised in a quarter.
Sanders, who was just elected to his fourth six-year term, also tapped into grassroots energy to raise $11.4 million over the same period.
Reality check: Some Democratic strategists worry about Sanders and Ocasio-Cortez becoming the faces of the party.
They believe the party went too far to the left during Trump's first term and is in danger of doing so again.
Ocasio-Cortez may thrill many partisan Democrats — but the party needs to win back people in the middle, they argue.
Between the lines: Sanders and Ocasio-Cortez counter that Democrats moderating is what led many working-class voters to flee the party.
Still, both have been trying to frame their worldview as having broad appeal.
In her red-state appearances, Ocasio-Cortez repeated versions of the line: "'I don't think this is Trump country, I think this is our country."
Sanders, in an echo of one of former President Obama's famous speeches, told the crowd in Idaho: "We don't accept this blue state–red state nonsense. We are the United States of America — not red states, not blue states."
Sanders spokesperson Anna Bahr told Axios: "The best way to defeat authoritarianism is with a strong, working-class coalition that spans the political spectrum."
Tyson Brody, Sanders' research director on his 2020 presidential campaign, told Axios he thinks Ocasio-Cortez's moves are "about more than becoming a leader of the left, it's about becoming a leader of the party."
They believe the party went too far to the left during Trump's first term and is in danger of doing so again.
Ocasio-Cortez may thrill many partisan Democrats — but the party needs to win back people in the middle, they argue.
Between the lines: Sanders and Ocasio-Cortez counter that Democrats moderating is what led many working-class voters to flee the party.
Still, both have been trying to frame their worldview as having broad appeal.
In her red-state appearances, Ocasio-Cortez repeated versions of the line: "'I don't think this is Trump country, I think this is our country."
Sanders, in an echo of one of former President Obama's famous speeches, told the crowd in Idaho: "We don't accept this blue state–red state nonsense. We are the United States of America — not red states, not blue states."
Sanders spokesperson Anna Bahr told Axios: "The best way to defeat authoritarianism is with a strong, working-class coalition that spans the political spectrum."
Tyson Brody, Sanders' research director on his 2020 presidential campaign, told Axios he thinks Ocasio-Cortez's moves are "about more than becoming a leader of the left, it's about becoming a leader of the party."