AOC Floats 2028 Run as She Mocks ‘Woke 1’ as Crazy
Updated
Updated · The Atlantic · Aug 13
AOC Floats 2028 Run as She Mocks ‘Woke 1’ as Crazy
3 articles · Updated · The Atlantic · Aug 13
Summary
ABC’s interview drew two clear signals from Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez: she said she has not ruled out a 2028 presidential bid and brushed off earlier progressive politics as “‘Woke 1’ was crazy.”
That shift marks a sharper effort to distance herself from ideas tied to 2020-era Democratic activism, including slogans such as defund the police, which she and allies had previously treated more sympathetically.
The repositioning comes as many Democrats try to move past unpopular culture-war stances without fully repudiating them, after Republicans turned anti-wokeness into a durable campaign weapon in 2024.
Still, the broader leftward pressure remains: Democratic Socialists of America-backed candidates are gaining in primaries, raising the prospect that 2028 could again force Democrats to confront the party’s unresolved ideological split.