Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., praised fellow far-left politician Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., saying the congresswoman from the Bronx and Queens has used her considerable "gift" for relating to the working class to position herself as a Democratic Party leader.
In an interview on "The Axios Show" with Alex Thompson on Thursday, Sanders said Ocasio-Cortez will likely advance in the party, either by challenging Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., or making a play for 2028 Democrat presidential nominee.
"That's her decision to make," Sanders said, adding that Ocasio-Cortez is "a very, very good politician in the best sense of the word," describing her as an "incredibly intelligent" person.
This past spring, the two progressive lawmakers embarked on their "Fighting Oligarchy" tour, where they lambasted the ever-present influence of billionaires and corporations in politics in the age of Elon Musk and President Donald Trump.
Although both Sanders and Ocasio-Cortez faced criticism for spending over $200,000 on private jets while campaigning against the wealthy, the Vermont senator said AOC has remained true to her humble beginnings.
"She comes from the working class ... she knows what it's like not to have any money," Sanders said.
When asked by Thompson if the New York congresswoman would make a "formidable presidential candidate" Sanders responded in the affirmative: "I think she would," and added, "There are a lot of other great people out there."
Sanders said he had a "lot of optimism" about the political future of the far-left wing of the Democratic Party and cited Reps. Greg Casar of Texas, Pramila Jayapal of Washington, Ilhan Omar of Minnesota, and Maxwell Frost as future leaders of the progressive caucus.
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