Exciting Crowds on Sanders Campaign Trail, AOC Lovers Look to Her Future

New York Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez campaigned recently for 2020 Presidential candidate Bernie Sanders, taking a moment to reflect before the adoring crowd: “I know, and we all know, that this isn’t just about Bernie Sanders,” she said. “This is about a movement that has been decades in the making.”

“The future of the Democratic Party is not Pete Buttigieg. It’s Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez,” said Will Rodriguez-Kennedy, president of the California Young Democrats, which has endorsed Sanders. “She has gripped the attention of fellow millennials across the country. The Green New Deal has changed the conversation on environmental action in the Democratic Party.”

AOC 2024? AOC 2028?

Politico captures eyeballs with their headline AOC for president? The buzz has begun. Possibilities abound like the post-it notes from ordinary people left on AOC’s office door — AOC 2024 or AOC 2028.

Ray Buckley, chairman of the New Hampshire Democratic Party, reflects on AOC, suggesting that Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez doesn’t need anyone to help her test-run a presidential bid: “I think her talent and her skills are her own, and I think that they speak for something. I don’t think she needs anybody to promote her. She has that ability herself.”

There’s no doubt that AOC helps Bernie Sanders every bit as much as he helps her. As Jonathan Tasini, author of “The Essential Bernie Sanders and His Vision for America” said about Bernie and AOC “Politics is a human endeavor. When people are on the campaign trail, it’s really important for a candidate to be dealing with someone they’re comfortable with.”

Ocasio-Cortez generates an infectious joy and sense of hope among her believers. This image from AOC’s Instagram sums up the beauty of her campaign and her constituents.

via Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Instagram.

Related: The visual power of Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Columbia Journalism Review