Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Gen Z Women And Democrats’ Dilemma

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Lost amid the hustle and bustle of the holiday weekend was a political bombshell. James Carville, the wily octogenarian political strategist who was a key architect of Bill Clinton’s 1992 presidential win, dropped the news while Americans were preparing for their annual boating and barbecuing.

Asked on MSNBC (a channel that is to liberals what MTV once was to teenagers) which Democrat he would support in the 2028 presidential election, Carville said if U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez wins the party’s presidential nomination, he would support her.

Although that sounds minor on the surface, political observers recognize it as a sea change. Carville has always had a fondness for centrist and Liberal Lite candidates. And Ocasio-Cortez is anything but moderate. 

Carville was queried about a new Co/Efficient survey which showed the 38-year-old New York congresswoman as Democrats’ favorite to be their next standard bearer, beating out old party veterans like Sen. Bernie Sanders and the 2024 nominee, former vice president Kamala Harris.

Ocasio-Cortez drew the support of 26% of Democrats in that survey – well ahead of Sanders (12%), U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett of Texas (8%) and Harris (6%).

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Carville has been less than cordial to the young congressional firebrand in the past. As recently as April, he said he “wasn’t impressed” by progressives like Ocasio-Cortez and Sanders. But last week, his tune changed.

“I think that if AOC wants to run for president and gets the nominee (sic), then God bless you, you are the nominee,” he said.

Carville’s change of heart tacitly acknowledges a new truth: Democrats’ progressive wing is firmly in the party’s driver’s seat.

Ocasio-Cortez hasn’t publicly said (or signaled) whether she will make the run in 2028. Neither has she closed the door on it. But the buzz surrounding that possibility is growing – and it’s worth noting from whence the buzz originates.

Gen Z Democrat women (age 18-30) hold Ocasio-Cortez in the highest esteem – viewing her as the embodiment of a strong, powerful young woman who embodies their far left-of-center views. While progressives occupy the party’s driver’s seat, it is Gen Z women whose hands are gripping the steering wheel.

And therein lies the dilemma for Democrats. Their militancy and insistence on demanding loyalty to their radical ideology are increasingly out of step with mainstream Americans.

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Consider the results of an NBC News/Survey Monkey poll released a few weeks ago. President Donald Trump’s approval among Baby Boomer men was 50% and among women, 43%. Among Gen X men, it was 56%, and with women was 43%. Millennial men supported him 49% compared to 40% for women.

Now, look at the results for Gen Z. Trump’s support among men was 45%. And women? A mere 24%.

That’s a 20-point drop from women in other demographics…

It gets worse.

Asked if there are only two genders, 71% of Americans said “yes.” Among Gen Z women, though, a much smaller number (51%) answered in the affirmative.

Perhaps most telling of all was the question, “How proud are you to be an American?” For Gen Z women, 22% said “only a little” or “not proud at all,” again, the lowest by far of any demo. 

While they have staked out radical political and social views, Gen Z women represent just 10% of the U.S. population. Yet their influence at the polls – and in policy discussions – far surpasses their meager numbers.

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For more than a decade now, big business has thinned the ranks of older workers to lighten its payroll. (The new rule of thumb says, “It’s 20, 50,100; if you’ve worked here for 20 years, are age 50 or older, and make $100,000 a year or more, you’re toast”). Many times, those positions are filled by Gen Z women not long out of college, whose pay is a fraction of what their older predecessors received.

And those Gen Z women workers are bringing their far-left views with them into the workplace. Their influence is being felt in the news, education, investment, and marketing industries. Those still pursuing a degree have made Gen Z women a potent political force on college campuses.

As a result, Democratic candidates who ignore Gen Z women do so at their political peril. Those who embrace them likewise risk alienating middle-of-the-road Americans, especially moderate swing voters.

“There’s no doubt Gen Z women are a powerful force,” a Washington, D.C.-based political strategist told us. “But they also carry a high price tag for Democrats. They are notoriously reluctant to compromise, increasingly demand unswerving loyalty to woke views and positions, and scream for the head of anyone who disagrees with them on a silver platter.”

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“That makes them key players in Democratic politics today…”

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“That makes them key players in Democratic politics today,” the strategist added. “And there’s every reason to believe their influence will only increase within the party in the near future. However, they would do well to consider that history is littered with the graves of political movements that failed to succeed because of their inflexibility.”

Which is precisely the predicament James Carville and other top Democrats face today. It would be very difficult for a candidate to win the nomination without the support of Gen Z women. And it would be just as hard to win in November with it.

“It’s a classic Catch-22 for Democrats,” one South Carolina political operative observed. “Damned if you do, damned if you don’t.”

This much is certain: Gen Z women are making damn sure their party listens to and heeds them. For better or for worse.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR…

J. Mark Powell is an award-winning former TV journalist, government communications veteran, and a political consultant. He is also an author and an avid Civil War enthusiast. Got a tip or a story idea for Mark? Email him at mark@fitsnews.com.

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