Hasan Piker Favors Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez for 2028 Presidential Run

Far-left Twitch streamer Hasan Piker has expressed his preference for Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., as his choice for the 2028 Democratic presidential candidate. He believes she can energize the party’s base and attract voters who typically do not participate in elections.

When asked to choose between Ocasio-Cortez and Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., Piker quickly picked the New York congresswoman. During an interview with Mehdi Hasan on Zeteo, Piker stated, “AOC. It’s not even a question.”

During a rapid-fire exercise, Piker’s options included California Gov. Gavin Newsom, former Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel, and other prominent figures like former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and Sen. Jon Ossoff. He consistently found Ocasio-Cortez stood out as the preferable option.

Piker acknowledged the potential electoral challenges due to Ocasio-Cortez’s race and gender but dismissed the notion that these would be insurmountable obstacles. “These are hurdles, yes,” Piker commented. “But these are hurdles that one can clear.”

He argued that Ocasio-Cortez could overcome these by campaigning passionately and engaging with lesser-engaged voters. “As long as you have moral conviction, as long as you can excite the base, as long as you can 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.”

Piker compared her to Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., suggesting she might be an even more effective advocate for democratic socialism within the party. “It would be a fantastic left candidate, even better than Bernie in many ways,” he stated.

Despite his support, Piker critiqued Ocasio-Cortez’s political approach, suggesting it is sometimes too focused on social media presence and image. “The way she carries herself, I think, is a little bit too, like, optics-driven, too liberal and too optics-driven,” Piker noted. “I think she doesn’t harness the populist rage in the way that she communicates.”

Fox News Digital sought comments from Ocasio-Cortez but did not immediately receive a response. Currently, Ocasio-Cortez has not declared intentions to run in 2028. Recently, she has increased her national appearances, endorsing candidates and supporting progressive causes.