As Democrats scour for new leadership, AOC emerges as Bernie 2.0

WASHINGTON—Formonths,Democratshavestruggledwithanidentitycrisis.AfterlosingtheWhiteHouseandbothchambersofCongressinNovember,thepartyhaslackedaunifiedmessageandhasfailedtocoalescearoundacentralleader. EnterRep.AlexandriaOcasio-Cortez. Ocasio-Cortezhaslongbeenconsideredanup-and-comerintheDemocraticParty,especiallyaftershewasfirstelectedbydefeating10-termincumbentJoeCrowleyforNewYork’s14thDistrictseat.Sincethen,she’sbecomeoneofthemostrecognizablefacesoftheprogressivemovement. Allofthathascrescendoedinrecentmonths.AsDemocraticvotersincreasinglycallfornewleadershipfollowingthelossoftheWhiteHouseandbothchambersofCongressinthe2024elections,Ocasio-Cortezhasracedtofillthatvoid.She’scrushingherownfundraisingrecordsinanoff-electionyearandshe’saheadinearlypollsweighing2028presidentialcandidates. “IfyoulookatherfavorabilityamongDemocrats,she’sverypopularacrosstheboard,”BradBannon,aDemocraticstrategist,toldtheDeseretNews.�