Is America’s political future female?
Two women from either end of the political spectrum are the subject of chatter online related to the 2028 presidential election.
Charlie Kirk’s widow, Erika Kirk, who is now the CEO of Turning Point USA, captivated the nation as she spoke at his memorial on Sunday, especially as she forgave her husband’s assassin, because, she said, “it was what Christ did and what Charlie would do.”
The day after the memorial, Erika Kirk was trending on social media alongside Vice President JD Vance as supporters suggested the two join forces for a Vance-Kirk 2028 presidential ticket.
“Erika Kirk is now at the summit of American politics and culture,” Matthew Continetti, director of Domestic Policy Studies at the American Enterprise Institute, wrote in The Free Press. “The size of the platform mattered less than the character of the messenger. Even as one laments the promise of a life cut short, never knowing what Charlie Kirk might have accomplished, one must also recognize Erika’s potential.”
The future of the Make America Great Again movement is up in the air, with President Donald Trump out of the White House at the end of this term. Continetti suggested Kirk could be the one to take the reins.
“She’s bound to have a lasting and wide-ranging influence on the country. With her powers of communication, moving story, and personal connection, Erika Kirk could end up the next Billy Graham. She could lead a generation to Christianity. She could be the first woman president,” he said.
Fellow Free Press columnist Rupa Subramanya posted on social media that she favors a “JD Vance-Erika Kirk 2028 ticket,” calling it “unbeatable.”
During his remarks, Vance echoed the Kirks in sharing his personal convictions.
“I was telling somebody backstage that I always felt a little uncomfortable talking about my faith in public,” he said. “As much as I love the Lord, and as much as it was an important part of my life, I have talked more about Jesus Christ in the past two weeks than I have my entire time in public life.”
It may still be too early to identify which way the Republicans will go in 2028, but speculation is starting to emerge from both political parties.
Is AOC the Democrats’ future?
People close to the progressive lawmaker have said that Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., could be a potential presidential candidate in 2028. If not president, then she might take on Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, according to Axios.
This may not be much of a shock, AOC spent part of the year traveling across the country with Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders on his “Fighting Oligarchy Tour,” increasing her fundraising numbers and growing her popularity — far from her New York district.
“Some close allies believe that even if Ocasio-Cortez doesn’t think she could win,” per Axios, “she may want to run for the White House to ensure that the Democratic Party’s progressive wing is represented in the primary — just as Sanders did in 2016 against Hillary Clinton.”
Harry Enten, host of CNN’s “Margins of Error,” posted on X, saying that AOC has a “very real shot” in the 2028 presidential election.
Enten then compared early poll results for the Democratic primary, showing that Ocasio-Cortez is not far behind the front-runner California Gov. Gavin Newsom.
“If we thought Bernie Sanders was a long shot back in June of 2014 at this particular point, AOC has a very real shot, at least according to the early numbers that we see so far,” Enten said.
“What we’re talking about is a Democratic electorate that may very well be in the mood to embrace someone like Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.”