Recent polls are showing what some would consider a surprising advantage for Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez over other Democrats on the road to a party runoff for the 2028 presidential race, although skeptics say there are a number of reasons why she's likely not ready for job.
AOC turned 35 earlier this year, so she's fulfilled the age requirement for the presidency but, as Texas political analyst Bill Miller says, her only significant accomplishment as a US representative from New York has been to demonstrate her commitment to partisan progressive politics.
Then again, when was the last member of the US House of Representatives you can recall who ran for president. AOC would probably need to run for the Senate or a state governor before running for President.
"People don't become president from the House of Representatives, and she's done nothing to distinguish herself outside of establishing her position as a progressive" and Democratic Socialist, Miller observes.
And Ms. Ocasio-Cortez has been extensively marketed as a member of a new generation of Democrats, such as "The Squad," who lean far left politically, so if she decides to run for president in 2028, she would have to spend a lot of time testing the waters to see if voters support her.
And with her lack of experience, Republicans might welcome her candidacy.
"Yes," Miller says, "the best way to check the marketplace, she's your woman."