Veteran Democratic Party strategist James Carville suggested he would support Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) if the progressive lawmaker becomes the party’s presidential nominee in 2028.
Carville first criticized the Democratic Party during his Tuesday appearance on MSNBC’s “The Beat,” saying it does not “have a message” and that the party’s leader will be the next presidential nominee.
“But boy, we got some talent out there. And I don't have a very favorable opinion of the Democratic Party, and I have no idea who the leader party is, and I am not even disturbed, because Democrats are going to pick their own leader,” Carville said.
“It's not going to be picked by the press, it's not going to be picked by polling. It's going to be it's going to be picked by Democratic voters, and that'll have to come in due time,” he told host Ari Melber.
The veteran political operative argued the Democratic Party, which suffered losses in the 2024 election, including losing the White House and the Senate, is not in as “nearly as bad shape as it’s being portrayed” and showed openness to backing Ocasio-Cortez if she secures the party’s nomination in 2028.
“Look, we lost an election. I don’t like the party. I don’t blame the party reputation for being low, but I think if AOC wants to run for president and she gets the [nomination], then God bless you. You are the leader of the Democratic Party. I mean, whoever gets that nomination is gonna be it,” Carville said on Tuesday.
Melber appeared surprised by the strategist’s remarks.
“You heard it here first. James Carville – once a critic of the AOC podcast landscape – now says if you win, you win, and you’ve got his support.”
Carville has previously been critical of progressives within the party, including Ocasio-Cortez and Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), who have said that the party needs radical change to be able to beat Republicans in the next election cycle.
“Bernie has run for president twice, he’s lost twice, AOC and her kind … they want to run against other Democrats,” Carville said in mid-April. “They don’t want to run against Republicans. When you beat a Republican, come back and see me and I’ll be impressed.”
Ocasio-Cortez toured the country with Sanders earlier this year, engaging and turning out voters in multiple states, stoking new questions about what her political future holds as the Democratic Party continues searching for its new leader after the 2024 presidential election.
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