<p>Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA) stated that Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s (D-NY) decision on whether to run for president in 2028 would not impact his own decision. In an interview on CNN’s <em>State of the Union</em>, Khanna was asked about his presidential ambitions and specifically about Ocasio-Cortez’s potential candidacy.</p>
<p>Khanna praised Ocasio-Cortez but emphasized that her decision was irrelevant to his own. He said, “Obviously, she’s extraordinary, but my vision is an economic vision.” He outlined his economic plan, which he referred to as “economic patriotism,” aimed at addressing the needs of deindustrialized communities and the black South.</p>
<p>Khanna elaborated, “How do we bring economic success, not just in Silicon Valley, across this country? I understand tech. I’ve had the guts to stand up to them, and I have a road map of how we build that future economy everywhere.”</p>
<p>His message appears to target a niche of left-wing economic populism while distancing from some of Ocasio-Cortez’s progressive social policies. Ocasio-Cortez has distanced herself from certain aspects of the “Woke 1” era but has maintained many of its policies.</p>
<p>Speculation regarding Ocasio-Cortez’s potential candidacy has increased, with Vice President JD Vance suggesting she could be the Democratic front-runner in 2028. Ocasio-Cortez has not directly commented on her presidential ambitions, stating she is focused on winning the midterms and running for Congress.</p>
<p>“I haven’t ruled out the possibility. And I’m very humbled to the tremendous amount of support out there,” she said during an interview on ABC’s <em>This Week</em>.</p>