Bernie Sanders and AOC Currently ‘in the Lead’ for 2028—Kevin McCarthy

Former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, a California Republican, said Friday that progressive Senator Bernie Sanders, a Vermont independent, and Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a New York Democrat, are “in the lead right now” when he was asked about a possible Democratic 2028 presidential ticket.

Newsweek reached out to press representatives for Sanders and Ocasio-Cortez for comment on Saturday.

Why It Matters

Democrats have been facing scrutiny over who will be the party’s standard-bearer come 2028. The party has been plagued with infighting and finger pointing following Democrats’ loss to President Donald Trump and Republicans in last year’s election.

Ocasio-Cortez, 35, is floated by many analysts as a possible 2028 contender. Meanwhile, she and Sanders, 83, have held a series of massive rallies as part of “Fighting Oligarchy” tour across the country, including in states and districts won by Trump. Due to Sanders’ age, most analysts do not believe the progressive senator is a likely 2028 contender.

What to Know

McCarthy, a Trump ally who resigned from Congress in 2023, appeared on HBO’s Real Time with Bill Maher on Friday. During the show, Maher asked the former GOP congressman who he sees as the Democratic Party’s 2028 presidential ticket.

“Right now? Bernie and AOC,” McCarthy responded quickly.

Maher expressed skepticism, pushing back on the assessment.

“They’ve got the biggest crowds,” McCarthy said. “It won’t sustain itself, but right now they [Democrats] have no leader.”

Sanders and Ocasio-Cortez are “going to lead right now,” the Republican added later in the segment. “I’m just saying who’s in the lead right now. I don’t think that’s how it ends up.”

When Maher pushed back on using crowd sizes as an indicator, McCarthy said “it drives where the ideas are gonna go, it’s gonna drive the money for a while.”

Some recent polls have shown Ocasio-Cortez in second place after former Vice President Kamala Harris. A survey by Quantus Insights carried out among 1,000 registered voters from April 21 to 23 showed Harris with 30 percent and Ocasio-Cortez in second place at 14 percent. Notably, Sanders registered at 6 percent in the same poll.

What People Are Saying

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez when asked by a Fox News reporter last week about a possible presidential run: “This moment isn’t about campaigns, or elections, or about politics. It’s about making sure people are protected, and we’ve got people that are getting locked up for exercising their First Amendment rights. We’re getting 2-year-olds that are getting deported into cells in Honduras. We’re getting people that are about to get kicked off of Medicaid. That, to me, is most important.”

Anna Bahr, Sanders’ communications director, told Newsweek on Friday: “Lifelong Republicans, Trump supporters, Independents, Democrats and people who have never been involved with politics have all turned out for the Fighting Oligarchy tour. We are not living in a ‘left versus right’ political paradigm anymore. It’s ‘the very top versus everyone else.'”

Senator Bernie Sanders on X, formerly Twitter, on April 29: “At a time when Trump and his billionaire gang is attacking our democracy and ripping off the working class, we need leaders with the backbone to take them on.”

Billionaire Trump ally Elon Musk in an April 11 X post: “Bernie is just fully communist.”

What Happens Next?

Speculation about 2028 will continue, especially as Democratic candidates hold off on declaring their ambitions.

Other prominent Democrats widely speculated to be weighing a run include former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, California Governor Gavin Newsom, Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear, Maryland Governor Wes Moore, Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer and Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, among others.