BURSTFormer House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) predicted during a recent interview that Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) will rise in the Democratic ranks and could become the next party leader once the next presidential election cycle rolls around.
McCarthy first weighed in on Democratic National Committee (DNC) Vice Chair David Hogg’s group, Leaders We Deserve, $20 million campaign to primary House Democrats in safe seats with the goal of bringing in a younger generation of lawmakers.
“Unheard of. The DNC is supposed to unite the party, but what we’re watching live is a civil war inside the Democratic Party, and they’re fighting for new leadership. And this is what’s gonna happen,” McCarthy said during his Friday night appearance on Fox News.
“Remember, AOC did this exact same thing a couple years ago and the party tried to shut her down when she would primary other members in Congress,” the former lawmaker added. “But she raised the most money of any member in Congress in the last quarter. She’s getting the biggest crowds.”
Ocasio-Cortez raised nearly $9.6 million in the first quarter this year, her biggest three-month fundraising period yet. She enters the second quarter with $8.2 million in cash on hand. The progressive Democrat has been hosting large rallies across the country with progressive Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) as part of the “Fighting Oligarchy” tour.
“And this is what I predict. They’re gonna fight to see who becomes the leader of this party. Right now, it’s really AOC and Bernie Sanders. But this is what’s gonna happen. They’re gonna run against Joe Biden, Kamala Harris, Rep. Nancy Pelosi [(D-Calif.)], [Sen. Minority Leader Chuck] Schumer [(D-N.Y.)], and [House Minority Leader Hakeem [Jeffries [(D-N.Y.)]. That will be a motivating factor.”
McCarthy argued that progressive Democrats such as Ocasio-Cortez will “raise more money running against Democrats than they will running against Republicans. And whoever comes out of that will become the leader of the Democratic Party.”
The New York progressive has drawn a lot of buzz lately as questions have arisen about her political ambitions for the 2028 election. Ocasio-Cortez is pollster Nate Silver’s early pick to be the leader of the party come the next White House election cycle.