Why AOC should run for US Senate against Kirsten Gillibrand
David Freddoso
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Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D) already has more money in the bank than Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) — $5.4 million to the senator’s $4.3 million. In a party primary for Gillibrand’s Senate seat, she could probably raise an overwhelming amount from left-wing donors across the country and outspend the senator. And in such a primary, the two would be competing for the votes of some of the furthest-left Democrats in America, which is natural territory for AOC.
Also — a consideration that should never be underestimated when you’re talking about members of Congress, regardless of party or ideology — AOC’s pension becomes fully vested next January, at the end of five years of service, and she is also guaranteed access to the Congressional health plan in her retirement, although this may not be as good a benefit as it used to be before Obamacare.
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I am no fan of AOC or her toxic brand of Bolshevik politics. But if I were her, I would launch a Senate campaign. I’d also do it quickly and raise as much money money online as possible in the next 68 days, so as to discourage anyone else to Gillibrand’s left who might be considering such a move.
Why? Well, first of all, there isn’t going to be another chance like this for a long time. When Chuck Schumer retires, there might be a dozen candidates or more — it would be much simpler to knock off Gillibrand in a head-to-head race, given her relatively low profile and weak approval rating.
In the House, AOC hasn’t been good for much in the last four years besides outrage headlines and the like. (I was especially amused when she called out Nancy Pelosi for racism and sexism, an incident that Google has nearly memory-holed.) If she has been productive, it has only been with evangelization of the public for the cause of defunding the police, ending immigration enforcement, and redistributing the wealth of uber-rich people who give her illegal gifts.
As a senator, however, AOC would have six years before she’d have to bother facing the voters again — a huge perk. She would also have a terrific excuse to build up a much more powerful statewide network of donors, voters, and precinct captains, which she could use to affect Democratic primaries in the future. And there are going to be a whole bunch of open-seat primaries in New York in the coming cycles, considering how many Empire State congressional seats Democrats just lost in 2022. Plus, Chuck Schumer won’t be in the Senate forever.
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That’s why she ought to do it, from her perspective.
Now here’s why I’d like her to do it: I want to see former Rep. Lee Zeldin (R) run statewide again. And in a race against AOC, there’s an outside chance that he might actually win. If not, then at least the tabloids will have a much more entertaining senator to cover than Gillibrand.