Dem
51
GOP
49
Joe Biden knows he has a problem with the young voters he desperately needs. And he may have found a solution. Her name is Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY). She probably has more street cred with young voters than anyone under 80 (Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-VT, is 82). For someone who has been in Congress for only a bit over 5 years, she has star power and media recognition that dwarfs many 20-year House veterans who chair a major committee.
AOC has also learned to play the game very quickly. Being quirky gets you only so far in politics. But she knows that becoming a key Biden surrogate will do wonders for her career and win her many brownie points within the Democratic Party. Many people expect her to run for the Senate when the 73-year-old Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) retires. AOC is only 34, so she can easily wait 10-15 years if need be.
She is not 100% in alignment with Biden. In particular, she opposes Biden's support for Israel. On the other hand, she is a big supporter of his policies on climate change, abortion, and canceling student loans. On all these issues, she is closely aligned with what many young voters want. She also can make the point that while she doesn't agree with all of Biden's policies, she has his ear and a seat at the table. Not many progressives can claim that, and certainly not many young ones.
The issue where AOC can be most helpful to Biden is on climate change. She is a strong supporter of the Green New Deal and can tout Biden's climate initiatives and funding in the Inflation Reduction Act. While Gaza is the flavor of the month for some young voters, many of them believe that in the long run the biggest problem facing the world is climate change. On that, she is with Biden and has the ability to influence him. That could be enough to get some young voters to the polls, despite their dislike of Biden's policies in the Middle East. (V)