‘She Would Have A Real Chance’: Ex-CNN Analyst Breaks Down Why AOC Is ‘Going To Run’ For President

Former CNN political analyst Chris Cillizza explained on Tuesday why Democratic New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez will one day run for president of the United States.

Ocasio-Cortez gave a primetime address at the Democratic National Convention (DNC) on Monday after only speaking 90 seconds at the 2020 convention, according to The New York Times. Cillizza, on his YouTube channel, said he was impressed by the skill Ocasio-Cortez displayed during her speech and broke down why running for president is a likely step in her political future after she becomes old enough to do so in October.

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‘She Would Have A Real Chance’: Ex-CNN Analyst Breaks Down Why AOC Is ‘Going To Run’ For President pic.twitter.com/i9QFzG28hy

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“If Harris wins in November, she’ll run for reelection in 2028, presumably, and AOC would have to wait until 2032, when she would be, quick math, in her early 40s, which is fine,” Cillizza said. “If Harris loses, we don’t talk enough about, I don’t think, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. You know, we talk about Gretchen Whitmer, the governor of Michigan, rightly so. We talk about Josh Shapiro, the governor of Pennsylvania, obviously Tim Walz, now the vice presidential nominee — maybe he’d be in the presidential mix. [Governor] Gavin Newsom from California. So, we talk about a lot of those folks, but we don’t talk about her, and I actually think, given the sort of liberal lean of the party, I actually think she would have a real chance.”

Cillizza also noted Ocasio-Cortez may not have the opportunity to ascend in the near-term if she remains in New York politics.

“Kathy Hochul is the governor; she said she is running for another term in 2026. That would be 2030, assuming she wins, so that’s a while. Chuck Schumer is the Senate Majority Leader currently —he’s not giving that job up anytime soon,” he said. “And Kirsten Gillibrand, the other senator from New York, is young and not going anywhere. So there’s not a lot of room for upward movement in New York, which makes me think that the sort of presidential thing could take off — probably not 2028, but maybe … And I think she represents a part of the party [whose] voice is getting louder.”

However, Cillizza expressed uncertainty about whether Ocasio-Cortez could win a national election because of how “liberal” she is politically.

“I think the question that Ocasio-Cortez will need to answer is, can that sort of very clear lefty politics … can that work at winning a Democratic nomination? Can a true unapologetic liberal — she’s actually a Democratic Socialist, even though she caucuses with Democrats — can that be a majority coalition in the Democratic Party first? And then, obviously, can someone like that win a general election? So that’s the question, and I actually think she’s the voice that will probably test that going forward at the national level,” he said.

“I was just struck at how good she was on Monday night, a real star among a lot of very high-profile political people, including the President of the United States, who spoke that night,” Cillizza added. “So that’s my big takeaway. AOC — what does she do next? Because she’s going to do something. You don’t have all that talent and stay just in the House for your entire career, so she’s going to do something else. I would assume it’s president and I would assume it’s probably shortest term 2028, midterm 2032, but she’s going to run. So keep an eye on her.”

President Joe Biden delivered remarks long after he was slated to give his primetime address to headline the first night of the DNC, appearing close to midnight on the East Coast.