Full Breakdown
Progressive Groups Urge Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Ro Khanna to Enter 2028 Presidential Race
By Drooid · · How we work
Advocacy Push for a Progressive Ticket
Two progressive advocacy organizations, Progressive Democrats of America (PDA) and RootsAction, launched a campaign urging Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) and Representative Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) to run for president in 2028. Their effort is set to begin immediately after the November midterm elections.
Background and Recent Successes
PDA and RootsAction cite the 2026 primary season, which they describe as a “story of progressive victories,” as evidence of growing voter appetite for left-leaning alternatives. PDA previously pushed Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) to launch a bid as early as 2013, while RootsAction was the first national group to endorse New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s insurgent 2025 campaign.
Key Figures and Their Track Records
- Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez – Representative from New York, noted for championing the Green New Deal and other progressive legislation.
- Ro Khanna – Representative from California, recognized for his work on technology policy and foreign-policy reform.
- Alan Minsky – Executive director of PDA, who characterizes most prospective 2028 Democratic candidates as “big-money-backed status-quo centrists.”
- India Walton – Senior strategist at RootsAction, who echoes Minsky’s call for a progressive champion on the debate stage.
Potential Impact on the Democratic Nomination
The groups contend that without a progressive candidate, the Democratic response to “right-wing demagoguery” would be “woefully underwhelming,” potentially allowing voter unrest to grow. By positioning Ocasio-Cortez and Khanna as alternatives to establishment figures, PDA and RootsAction aim to shape the 2028 primary discourse and force the party to address issues of war, inflation, and corporate influence more directly.