The Democrats seek to revive in the USA and already have a list of candidates for the presidency

WashingtonLast summer, the Democratic base was still unable to say who was at the helm of the party. A poll published at the time by Politico showed a clear dichotomy between the reality of the Democratic party, still lost after the 2024 electoral defeat, and the Republican party, with the figure of Donald Trump as the ultimate authority. A year later, however, the party is beginning to glimpse the end of the political desert through which they had been wandering.

The primary cycle within the Democratic Party has been a catharsis, which although it does not yet define the path, has put a whole list of names on the table as possible leaders. Although the leadership looks with suspicion at the socialist and anti-establishment wave that has shaken the party, it has also been this same sense of change that has allowed candidates who recently did not excite or were unthinkable to be seen with different eyes: former Vice President Kamala Harris and Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.

Harris's name has always been taken for granted and she has already begun to test the waters. On September 22, the former Vice President returned to the media spotlight, in a roundtable discussion with Abdul El-Sayed, the Democratic candidate for the Senate in Michigan and one of the stars of the new left-wing wave that the party is experiencing. The approach to El-Sayed shows Harris's attempt, linked to the old establishment, to absorb the political capital of these new candidates who present themselves as the generational shift that Democratic voters were waiting for so much. It also sends a clear message to the pro-Palestinian sector that was left completely disappointed by Harris's inability to condemn the genocide in Gaza.

Other names that have also been buzzed about are that of Senator Ruben Gallego, who has also begun to distance himself from the major pro-Israel donor AIPAC. All this, with the prospect of the possibility of competing for the party's presidential ticket. The name of California Governor Gavin Newsom and Democratic Congressman Ro Khanna also continue to be mentioned.

For Newsom, the decision to run for the presidential nomination will depend on two factors, as he explained to the press: the result of the November 3 midterm elections and whether Harris also competes. In the event that his fellow Californian does so, the governor would step back to support her.

The political heir to Bernie Sanders

Although the most high-profile case has been that of Ocasio-Cortez, considered by many to be the political heir to independent senator Bernie Sanders. The emergence of Zohran Mamdani in New York last year and the wave of left-wingers that has shaken the party establishment have meant that, for the first time, prediction markets are getting excited about the idea of Ocasio-Cortez as a possible presidential candidate in 2028.

In a recent interview with The New York Times, the 36-year-old Democrat did not rule out the possibility of competing for the presidential nomination. "I leave all my options open" is the preferred formula that Ocasio-Cortez now uses every time she is asked about the subject. In recent weeks, the possibility also began to sound stronger after the congresswoman shared her process of freezing eggs on social media. The advantage and disadvantage of Ocasio-Cortez is that she is already a well-known profile, although also more politically marked.

Ossoff and El-Sayed watch it from afar

Another name that has gained traction is that of Georgia senator, Jon Ossoff. He is part of those new and young faces that have once again excited the Democratic base, despite having maintained a relatively lower profile. Ossoff first entered Congress in January 2021, just when Donald Trump incited the assault on the Capitol. In his recent campaign for re-election, his name went viral thanks to a harsh speech against the American president. His intervention was the reason why the name of Natalie Harp, the tycoon's close advisor, became known everywhere.

Despite having the advantage of not being as politically marked as Ocasio-Cortez, for the moment the Georgian senator has denied that he plans to run for president in 2028. But two years is a very long period of time in politics. The same goes for El-Sayed: if the Michigan Democrat manages to become the first Muslim senator in the US this November, his presidential prospects could gain more strength. Even so, like Ossoff, El-Sayed has denied any kind of ambition for the ticket.