Cruz Sees AOC Rising in 2028—and Warns Republicans Not to Celebrate

Sen. Ted Cruz is predicting that Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez will run for president in 2028, and warning Republicans not to celebrate what they see as the Democratic Party’s continued movement toward the left.

“I think AOC will run for president,” Cruz said, also predicting that New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani could eventually replace Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer. “Some Republicans are cheering that our opponents are crazy. I’m not.”

Cruz may be seeing something that both Republicans and establishment Democrats are missing. One early poll cannot tell us who will win in 2028. But AOC is gaining ground, many of her likely rivals still lack a clear identity, and the economic frustration driving her message is accelerating.

A recent University of New Hampshire poll placed AOC at 22% among likely Democratic primary voters, almost tied with former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg at 21%. Every other prospective candidate remained in single digits.

What matters most is the direction the candidates are moving. Her support increased from 14% in October 2025 to 15% in February and 22% in July. Buttigieg remained largely stable, while California Gov. Gavin Newsom fell from 15% to 8% and former Vice President Kamala Harris dropped from 11% to 5%.

AOC is also positioned to inherit the movement built by Sen. Bernie Sanders. Sanders gave the Democratic left a national structure centered on universal health care, taxation of the wealthy, economic inequality and opposition to corporate power. He would be 87 in 2028, leaving AOC as the movement’s most recognizable potential successor.

AOC also starts with advantages Sanders had to build over time. She already has national name recognition, a powerful fundraising network, an energized base and years of experience speaking directly to voters online. She can carry much of Sanders’ economic message while also presenting herself as the face of a new generation. 

Her political message is simple. Wealthy individuals and corporations hold too much power. The economic system is unfair. The government can reduce the costs of health care, housing and daily life most effectively and fairly, and higher taxation of wealth can finance those policies.

Whether her policies would actually work is another question. But as a political message, they are easy to understand: AOC tells voters what she thinks is broken, who is responsible and how she plans to fix it.

That matters because affordability may be the defining political issue of the post-Trump era. Americans are struggling to buy homes, pay medical bills and build financial stability. Many are delaying marriage, homeownership and starting families because they do not believe they can afford them.

Republicans may believe AOC’s socialist policies make her unelectable. Cruz’s warning is that this could be a mistake. Voters struggling with housing, health care and rising costs may still support her if they believe the political establishment has no better answer.

“This is bad for America,” Cruz said. “I may disagree with Democrats on taxes and regulations, but this country needs two parties that actually love America.”

AOC also knows how to redirect Republican attacks. When asked whether democratic socialism could lead toward communism, she dismissed the argument.

“I think that’s very silly,” she said today. “We can’t even raise the minimum wage. Do they really think communism is going to happen?”

She then turned the argument back to health care. Her point was that opponents call these ideas communist to scare voters, while she presents them as practical solutions already used in other developed countries. 

A crowded Democratic field could also help her. Buttigieg, Newsom, Josh Shapiro, Mark Kelly and others may split the party’s moderate vote, while AOC begins with much of the progressive left already behind her.

That strategy failed for Sanders in 2020 after other candidates withdrew and Democrats united behind Joe Biden. But there is no guarantee that the 2028 field will produce one obvious establishment alternative, or that Democratic leaders will be able to coordinate quickly enough to stop AOC’s momentum.

Cruz could still be wrong, but AOC’s loyal movement, clear message and opening in a divided Democratic Party make his warning worth taking seriously. Republicans may see her as too radical to win, but Democratic primary voters may not, and attacking socialism alone may not stop her.