Battle of the progressives…
Veterans of Sen. Bernie Sanders’ two presidential campaigns are quietly splitting into competing camps as an early battle for the future of the progressive movement begins to take shape between Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (NY) and Rep. Ro Khanna (Calif.).
The emerging divide, first detailed in reporting by Axios and highlighted by Mediaite, suggests an increasingly visible rivalry is developing well ahead of the 2028 presidential race, teeing up a progressive showdown.
While Ocasio-Cortez has emerged as the clear early favorite among progressive activists and polling, Khanna has been quietly assembling a competing coalition of Sanders veterans and charting a somewhat different path toward national prominence.
According to Axios reporters Alex Thompson and Holly Otterbein, the two Democrats are effectively drawing from different eras of Sanders’ political movement.
Khanna has recruited several key figures from Sanders’ 2016 presidential campaign, including former campaign manager Jeff Weaver and longtime Sanders allies Julian Mulvey, Shannon Jackson and Sarah Michelsen. Sanders’ 2016 effort centered heavily on economic populism while taking relatively more moderate positions on issues such as immigration and guns.
Ocasio-Cortez, meanwhile, has brought on strategists tied to Sanders’ 2020 campaign, including Mike Casca and Oliver Hidalgo-Wohlleben, while also relying on outside adviser Matt Duss. Sanders’ later campaign moved further left on social issues and focused on building broader coalition support.
The differing personnel choices appear to reflect larger ideological and strategic differences.
Khanna has at times adopted a more centrist tone on issues like immigration and crime. Following the 2024 election, he argued voters backed President Donald Trump because they wanted “lower prices and a secure border.” He has also emphasized that he never supported efforts to “defund the police.”
Ocasio-Cortez has taken a more traditionally progressive approach. Following the election, she warned about the economic impact of Trump’s immigration policies, saying empty farms would likely drive grocery costs even higher.
The differences recently spilled into public view over whether progressives should work with former Trump allies on certain issues.
Last week, Ocasio-Cortez criticized cooperation with former MAGA figures such as Marjorie Taylor Greene after Greene drew praise from some on the left for opposing aspects of U.S. foreign policy and supporting efforts related to the release of the Epstein files. (RELATED: Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Addresses 2028 Rumors With Defiant Response)
“I personally do not trust someone like Marjorie Taylor Greene, a proven bigot and antisemite, on the issues of what is good for Gazans and Israelis,” Ocasio-Cortez said during a discussion with Democratic strategist David Axelrod.
Khanna offered a different approach.
“I will not yield an inch when it comes to standing for progressive values and for the human rights of every person,” he told Axios. “But if conservatives are willing to support justice for Epstein survivors or stopping the war in Iran, I will work with them.”
Khanna’s effort may also be driven by political realities. Ocasio-Cortez has built a massive online following and robust small-dollar fundraising operation that gives her an early advantage.
Mediaite noted that a recent AtlasIntel survey placed Ocasio-Cortez at 26% in a hypothetical 2028 Democratic primary field, while Khanna registered just 0.9%.
Still, despite the growing competition, people connected to both camps say the relationship remains friendly for now. Many aides continue to communicate and share overlapping ties within the broader progressive movement.
But beneath the surface, larger questions appears to be emerging: What version of progressivism comes after Bernie Sanders and can America handle it?
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Empty farms?
Yeah, riiiight!
For that problem we, the U.S., have those short term ( usually somewhere around six months ) visas for farm workers from other countries.
And we’ve had those for a long many years!
AOC, as usual, has no idea of what she is talking about … or maybe she believes that we don’t.
No matter which, we are obviously NOT as stupid as her! 🤪
She can fool some of the people all of the time, all of the people some of the time, but NOT all of the people all of the time ( a revised saying originally from Abe Lincoln ).