Progressive darling Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) has been a thorn in everyone's side since she came into the spotlight during the 2018 election. After being sworn in, she quickly made a name for herself as someone who was willing to take on the Democratic establishment and spar with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA). She pushed the Green New Deal and brought climate change to the forefront of the Democrats' conversations. And now it looks as though that's paying off for her.
2020 Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT), who AOC endorsed, said the freshman Congresswoman would have a place in the White House should he win the Democratic nomination and, ultimately, the general election, Fox News reported.
"Look, I have said this before, let me say it again -- and I don't want [Ocasio-Cortez] to hear this, because [her] head will explode," he said during an interview with ABC News. "I don't know of any person, I've been in Congress for a few years, who in the course of less than one year, she's been in office less than one year, who has had more of an impact on American politics as a freshman member of Congress than she has."
"She is, again, at the end of one year she is a leader in the United States Congress and her ideas are resonating all over this country," he said. "If I am in the White House, she will play a very, very important role, no question."
Rumors have swirled on social media that AOC may join Sanders as a potential running mate. Legally speaking, however, the congresswoman is too young. In order to be president or vice president, the person running must be 35-years-old. Ocasio-Cortez just celebrated her 30th birthday last month.
Let's play this one out for a second (assuming Bernie was in a position to actually win the Democratic nomination and has a chance at beating Trump).
Even though AOC can't be vice president, she could have significant influence in a Sanders White House. She could significantly impact the direction and issues his administration would go, which policies they would champion – we know the Green New Deal would be one – and she could be the face of some of those issues. That thought process is really, really scary considering she champions socialist values. If someone who was actually electable decided to make her part of their cabinet, America as we know it would truly be doomed.