AOC says ‘my ambition is to change the country,’ not to run for president in 2028

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (AOC) has been among the speculated Democratic Party members who might be running in the 2028 United States presidential election. During a speaking event at the University of Chicago Institute of Politics, AOC didn’t directly respond to the claim. Instead, the congresswoman believes that her ambitions for the country surpass positions and politicking.

“There are a lot of people who would like you to run for president in 2028,” David Axelrod, founder of the Institute of Politics, told AOC. “There are others who would like you to run for the United States Senate,” he continued. Axelrod asked her opinion on the matter, as the room full of students seemed to agree that she should be running for a different position.

“You know, it’s funny, because in this op-ed that Jeff Bezos paid for in the Washington Post, there was this line that you had mentioned earlier as a potential 2028 contender—X, Y, Z. In the context of that, it was very clear this was a veiled threat,” AOC said of the op-ed. She believes that modern-day elites, who have control over tech, algorithms, and social media platforms, intend to make an example out of her.

But even so, the supposed threat doesn’t faze the congresswoman.

AOC’s political ambition

“What’s funny about that is that they assume that my ambition is positional. They assume that my ambition is a title or a seat, and my ambition is bigger than that. My ambition is to change this country,” she said.

“Presidents come and go. Senate, House seats, elected officials come and go, but single-payer healthcare is forever. A living wage is forever. Workers’ rights are forever, women’s rights—all of that,” AOC said.

AOC didn’t confirm her presidential run. She didn’t even greenlight the possibility of trying to be a senator. Many believe she stands a better chance at winning a Senate seat compared to Sen. Chuck Schumer because of his low approval ratings. But Schumer has not yet announced his retirement.

AOC concluded, “A finer point to your question is that when you aren’t attached, when you haven’t been fantasizing about being this or that… it is tremendously liberating because I get to wake up everyday and ask myself, ‘How am I going to meet the moment?'”

What should public service be about?

AOC’s mission statement is a reminder that public servants should always be judged on the substance of their service. She said she doesn’t make decisions based on what she has to gain. Rather, she bases her decisions on the changes she can bring to the country.

It’s the type of answer that elicits the impression of hope that more public servants could be elected to power. There is no shortage of politicians in all branches of the government. But there is a clear deficit of public servants—people who gain power and use it to prioritize creating positive changes in government.

Some career politicians have been meticulously planning their presidential runs all their lives. Not all of them are in it for public service or positive change. Rather, there are many politicians who, in their rent-seeking ways, would cling on to power just for the prestige and fortune the job brings.

But public service isn’t supposed to be about golden statues or names on vanity projects. The title is only as useful as the policies and other contributions put forth by the people in that position.

(featured image: University of Chicago Institute of Politics)

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