Hasan Piker Names Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez His Top Choice for 2028 Presidential Bid

Twitch streamer Hasan Piker has identified Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., as his preferred candidate for the 2028 presidential election. Piker stated that Ocasio-Cortez possesses the ability to energize the Democratic Party's base and mobilize voters who do not typically participate in elections, forming a winning coalition.

During a recent interview, Piker was asked to choose between Ocasio-Cortez and Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., as his preferred 2028 candidate, immediately selecting the New York congresswoman. "AOC. It's not even a question," Piker said.

Piker's selection came after a rapid-fire exercise where he was presented with a list of prominent Democrats, including California Gov. Gavin Newsom, former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, former Vice President Kamala Harris, and Sen. Jon Ossoff, D-Ga. Piker asserted that Ocasio-Cortez stood out from the other potential contenders.

"AOC is, out of all of the people that you mentioned," Piker said. "AOC is the only one that I would like."

While acknowledging that Ocasio-Cortez's race and gender could present electoral challenges, Piker dismissed the notion that these factors would make victory unattainable. "These are hurdles, yes," he stated. "But these are hurdles that one can clear."

He further elaborated that Ocasio-Cortez could surmount these obstacles by campaigning with conviction and engaging voters who are less likely to participate in elections. "As long as you have moral conviction, as long as you can excite the base, as long as you can actually create a unique coalition and activate low-propensity voters," Piker said. "Which I think AOC has the capacity to do, it would be a fantastic left candidate."

Comparing Ocasio-Cortez to Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., whose presidential campaigns brought democratic socialism to greater prominence within the party, Piker suggested she could be an even more effective candidate. "It would be a fantastic left candidate, even better than Bernie in many ways," he remarked.

However, Piker also offered constructive criticism regarding Ocasio-Cortez's public presentation. He noted her effectiveness on social media and her willingness to adopt progressive stances in Congress but suggested she might be overly focused on optics. "The way she carries herself, I think, is a little bit too, like, optics-driven, too liberal and too optics-driven," Piker said. "I think she doesn’t harness the populist rage in the way that she communicates."

Ocasio-Cortez has not officially announced any plans for a 2028 presidential campaign. In May, she indicated that she had not yet decided whether to run for president but has increased her national travel and campaign appearances.