Among Democrats on Capitol Hill, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer wields far more power than New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders . But the progressive champions have the hearts of Democratic voters across the country.
About three-quarters of Democrats have a 'somewhat" or "very" favorable view of Sanders, while about half have a favorable view of Ocasio-Cortez, according to a recent survey from the AP-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. Compare them with Schumer, an establishment Democrat, who is viewed favorably by only about a third of Democrats.
Nearly the entire difference in favorability ratings between Sanders and Ocasio-Cortez can be explained by voters who said they don't know enough to form an opinion of AOC. Their unfavorable ratings among Democrats were essentially the same, around 15 for both.
Ocasio-Cortez, now 35, was an anonymous Sanders campaign volunteer a decade ago. Now she's perhaps the best positioned to be the 83-year-old Sanders' successor atop his progressive movement as the Democratic Party tries to position itself in Trump's America.
But that role comes with risks - President Donald Trump and Republicans have long made AOC a foil, and some Democrats, progressive and moderate alike, have argued she and Sanders are too disruptive and push for unrealistic policy ideas.