Are you thinking about running for president or Senate? All right, so yesterday, Fox News Digital asked Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez if she wants to run for higher office in 2026 or potentially 2028. [00:00:17] And let's see how she responded. Because of because of my Instagram post. It's a video. And frankly, I think what people should be most concerned about is the fact that Republicans are trying to cut Medicaid right now and people's healthcare is in danger. [00:00:33] And that's really what my central focus is. So that Instagram video that AOC referred to has created quite a lot of speculation that she could be gearing up for something soon, maybe something big, maybe something like some kind of election. [00:00:51] Here are some experts excerpts from that video. You know, Idaho, I am so touched being here. I'm a girl from the Bronx To be welcomed here in this state, all of us together, [00:01:07] seeing our common cause. This is what this country is all about. Don't let them trick us into thinking we are enemies. Don't let them trick us into thinking we can be separated into rural and urban, black and white and Latino. [00:01:22] We are one. Miracles start with mustard seeds, and that is what each and every one of you represent today. Small miracles of faith in ourselves, in each other, and in the refusal to give up. [00:01:42] All right. Well, as we have previously reported, AOC has been getting some pretty promising poll numbers lately. So when asked which Democrat best reflects the core values of the party, 10% of Democratic voters named her just ahead of Harris at 9% and Sanders at 8%. [00:01:59] And a Yale University poll released in April found that Democrats that among Democrats Ocasio-Cortez boasts the highest the single highest net favorability rating of all the party's many potential 2020 presidential candidates, a sky high 62%. [00:02:16] And when asked whom they would support if the 2020 Democratic presidential primaries were held today, AOC finished a very strong second. Former Vice President Kamala Harris, at 28%, was the only prospective candidate to edge her out. But don't just take it from us here. We might be a little bit biased. [00:02:34] A large number of conservatives are stating that AOC could be a heavyweight contender for president. Let's watch. I would watch out for her. I mean, she's pulling tens of thousands of people, raising a lot of money. Yes. Quarter one, two times. Any other quarter amounts? She raised at 9.6 million and that she was already a prolific fundraiser. [00:02:53] She's out raising herself now. She raised the most money of any member in Congress in the last quarter. She's getting the biggest crowds. I have always said, do not underestimate people. Write me, by the way they think that I'm like, I support AOC. I don't like AOC, but I can recognize raw talent, [00:03:10] raw political talent when I see it. AOC is a is a person who understands her base, who understands the leftist populist streak that runs through that party. Bernie and AOC, I think, have learned from the last 4 or 5 years in politics [00:03:26] and are not leading with identity messaging in a way that I think AOC genuinely did struggle with. Ryan documents that in some of his book, like that really was a stumbling block for some left populists. But I think, and maybe the right is underestimating this, [00:03:41] they have learned from that. AOC certainly has a lot to think about going forward. And then there's the big picture to consider. So for one, Nate Silver is predicting, though even he admits that it's way too early to make a prediction like this one, that AOC could be at the top [00:03:59] of the Democratic ticket in 2028. So she is a year, almost exactly a year younger than me. If she somehow managed to become the president in 2028, she would be the youngest to ever do so. And of course, the first woman and the first Latina. So she recently, if you all remember, lost her bid for the chair [00:04:17] of the House Oversight Committee. And the guy she lost to Gerry Connolly has just announced earlier this week that he's actually going to be stepping down from the position soon, though he didn't specify what soon means or how soon. So people are now wondering if AOC is considering running [00:04:33] for that position a second time. She may or may not. And then there's the possibility that she could primary Chuck Schumer for the Senate seat. But either way, it does appear that she is thinking bigger than just the House of Representatives right now. But, John, these midterms are going to be kind of wild, I think. [00:04:51] And there are a few specific races that come to mind when I say that. And the reason I find these races interesting is because they seem to be benchmarks for where the country is headed and how people are actually feeling across the country. So, for example, you have Marjorie Taylor Greene considering leaving her very [00:05:06] red district and running for either Senate or the governor of Georgia. Right. Which so the question then is, would the rest of Georgia elect someone as far right as MTG, or does her brand of politics only get her elected in her own very red district? [00:05:23] Same can be said for AOC, potentially leaving her very comfortable house seat and her very comfortable district and running for a statewide position. So will her progressive politics resonate with the more broad sensibilities of the entire state of New York? And in AOC's case, I think she actually has a much higher [00:05:41] shot at being successful than MTG. And the reason is that we've seen recently MTG fighting her own constituents, like speaking down to them again in her very red district over the actions of the administration that they are not happy about. But she's still very much supports. [00:05:56] Meanwhile, AOC is pulling in record crowds across the country, far outside of her own district, along with Bernie, of course. And these rallies are packed with people red, blue, whoever. Right. And she's not watering down her message. [00:06:11] And I think that is pivotal to all of this, right? She's not pandering or capitulating to the lowest common denominator. She's not trying to get people further to the right while alienating the people on the left who already support her. And as far as I know, she's saying the same things that she's been saying all along. [00:06:28] But the difference is that now people are realizing that this progressive message that she and others have been promoting for so long is a lot more populous than anything Trump or the Republicans have ever genuinely tried to pull off. And I would say, optimistically, that while so many Americans are disillusioned [00:06:44] and disappointed with the Democrats, maybe people like AOC represent a potential way forward for them. Something better, something that they're more excited to vote for than, say, like the Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer's of the Democratic Party. - What do you think? - I certainly hope so. [00:07:00] I think it's a way to sort of reset the party in the same way that Obama was a way to reset it after, you know, eight years of George W Bush. And hopefully I think, I'm glad that you went to me because I think we've had enough of your bias take on AOC. I think we want someone who could be objective for a change. [00:07:15] So, She's fine, I guess. No. So first off, everybody's like, oh, you can't criticize her. Whatever. Even though I probably have a thousand times, her response to the videos she's doing, the thing that you have to do. She's being dishonest, technically, but they all do. [00:07:31] Like, no, nobody is honest about their plans to run for president, except the couple of times that they are, like two years out in advance. And that's always really weird. It always feels weird when they're, like, running to you. It's just strange. But but I think that she's being she's saying she's not interested at all [00:07:49] for a couple of pretty good reasons. First of all, I don't think that she knows for sure that she wants to run for either Senate or for that. She's been very clear for years now that she's not even sure she wants to stay in the house. Politics sucks, particularly when you're so high profile. I do think it's more likely than not that she will. [00:08:06] But again, if you say that all of the incentives are against you, you'll be attacked a thousand different ways. So why do it? Like we have provided a system of incentives that tell her it's time to lie sociali. And I think it's a relatively white lie in this particular case. [00:08:22] I like I love seeing these polls. I love that she's second only to Harris, who I imagine has a very low chance of running again after what happened. I think that the party would be very wise to to move in her direction. I'm not not to say that there aren't other great candidates potentially that could run, but I think that right now she has a great mix of qualities. [00:08:40] As you said, she's drawing these huge crowds. Her crowd in LA was 12 times the size of the crowd that Donald Trump did his 100 days address to. And I say that both because it's true and impressive, and I hope that Trump hears it and feels really bad as a result of that. [00:08:56] So all good reasons. I think that she has a great mix of qualities, and I think that the the party is lucky to have a young star like this that could potentially lead them for a very long time. - Yeah. - And and that's my unbiased take. Of course, I knew you'd have some thoughts, and I knew you'd be [00:09:13] a lot more balanced than I am. But, you know, you mentioned Obama, right? And how he represented hope in and a way forward from the democratic or for for really the country because the Republicans were in charge prior to Obama coming to office. And I just want to remind people that, like, whatever Obama's current PR is like, [00:09:32] however people currently think about him. Let's go back to when he was first elected, right? It felt like a savior had come to the United States, right? It was a miracle that he was elected president on The Daily Show. They had it was it was Mufasa holding up Simba on the night that he was elected. [00:09:51] Right. That's how big of a deal Obama coming to this country was and getting elected. He was young. He was vigorous. He was well-spoken. He was quite a change from the the eight years of George W Bush that we had had before. And yeah, like his legacy today is maybe a little bit tainted. [00:10:07] But at the time he was something else. Right? And I just want to remind people of that because the optics of things, you know, whenever we talk about Obama today, I feel like the message is lost. But when we're talking about what it was like back then, back in 2008, like, I feel like people need to remember what a big deal that was. [00:10:22] So that's my my last point, John. Yeah I think look, there's a lot of people that are already like names that are out there that people think that might run. There's a few that are good. There's a lot that I think would be a disaster, but that might be appealing in some ways. And so I'm just glad that this far out we have her and we have, Sanders as well, [00:10:42] not only raising like, their profile, that's good for them, but I also think that this is good for Democrats right now. Like we know, because we cover the news and our audience knows because they pay attention to it. You cannot just be beaten down on a daily basis by how terrible things are. You need something to give you a little bit of hope. [00:11:00] Not only that, there could be a good leader that could lead us in the future, but that they're drawing so many people is proof that there's a there's an appeal to that message that you were like, you're not alone. There are a lot of people that want things to change. They're the ones that are flooding those stadiums. They're the ones that are producing opinion polls like this [00:11:16] and negative opinion polls for Trump. And I think that that can be very motivating and very hopeful for people to. Now I think so. And, you know, as as far as her, you know, like lying or being coy about her decision, I think you're right to point out that she probably doesn't know what she's going to do yet. And as I mentioned earlier, you know, she has a few options on her table. [00:11:32] She can stay where she is because she's very comfortable there, but she does seem to be a little bit more ambitious and a little bit too big for her seat now. She could pursue the House Oversight Committee again. She could run for Senate or something bigger. Something more. Right. And, you know, that's her prerogative. Like, she needs time to figure that out. [00:11:49] And I think she should be granted time to figure that out, because that's not an easy decision to come by. But, you know, John, like you do have to be a little bit like, like a psycho to run for president, don't you? So. Many have been some of them have won recently. Like, like to want that level of power. [00:12:06] And, you know, that's what they say, you know, like anyone who actually would do the job well doesn't want that job, so. Yeah. Not that that's the most optimistic note to end on, but these are things to think about. Agreed. Every time you ring the bell below, an angel gets his wings. [00:12:22] Totally not true. But it does keep you updated on our live shows.