Will AOC run for president in 2024? Will she be the right age to candidate? As the US presidential election hurtles towards a nail-biting photo-finish, many are already looking to the future. With the news Kanye has set his sights on the next election, many are wondering if we’ll see an AOC (Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez) campaign next.
How old is Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez?
AOC is 31 years old. She was born on 13 October 1989 to Puerto Rican-American parents.
She grew up in New York, splitting her time between the Bronx and Yorktown. Seeing the poverty and income inequality of her neighbourhoods growing up inspired her to run for office.
She won the Democratic primary for New York’s 14th congressional district in 2018, defeating veteran democrat Joe Crowley and becoming the youngest Congresswoman in US history.
Speaking of her victory, Ocasio-Cortez has said: “I don’t want to be a saviour, I want to be a mirror.”
Since being elected she has championed healthcare for all Americans, promoted preventative climate change policies and continues to fight to end poverty.
She is an advocate for diversity and inclusion in the White House and US government, and has called out misogyny in the House. According to Vanity Fair: “Ocasio-Cortez became the de-facto spokeswoman for the historically diverse 2018 mid-term class, including a record 36 women and 24 people of colour as freshmen in the House.”
What is the minimum age needed to run for President?
To run for the position of President of the United States, you must be over 35, have lived in the US for more than 14 years and be a natural-born citizen of America.
By October 2024, AOC will be 35 years old, reaching the legal minimum required age for a presidential bid. However, as her birthday falls in October, she may not have reached the required age when nominations are being made.
However, recent presidents and presidential candidates have been of an older generation. Trump was the oldest US president yet, taking the role at the age of 70.
Democratic candidate Hilary Clinton was 68 and Joe Biden is pushing for a new record as the oldest president at 77. By contrast, Barack Obama was relatively young, being 47 at his inauguration.
The youngest ever president voted into office was John F Kennedy at 43 years and 236 days. This doesn’t bode well as a trend for AOC, with presidents skewing much older than the minimum age for a presidential nomination.
However, there has never been a female president either, so AOC could potentially break two records in one if she were to run for president in 2024.
AOC’s re-election into Congress
After her shock win four years ago, AOC has just been re-elected into Congress during the 2020 election. She retained her role with ease and will remain within the House to further the work she has already started.
She has also been vocal in her support for Biden, as well as calling out Trump on Twitter for his recent claim he had been victorious in the 2020 election.
Support for AOC as president
Many on Twitter are showing their support for Ocasio-Cortez, and have hope AOC will run for president in 2024 or at some point in the future.
Ocasio-Cortez herself has said: “I think it’s part of our cultural understanding of politics where – if you think someone is great, you automatically think they should be president. I joke. I’m like, ‘Is Congress not good enough?’”
It seems as if AOC is happy with her congressional seat and re-election for now. There’s no time limit on Ocasio-Cortez’s political career and a presidential run doesn’t have to happen as soon as she is eligible.
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