(NewsNation) — With a Republican majority in Washington, Democrats have been faced with the question of who will be the future face of their party.
Some people have been looking to Democratic New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez as a fresh face for party leadership. Ocasio-Cortez and independent Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders have recently been touring different states in their “Fighting Oligarchy” tour to combat the Trump administration’s policies.
While their tour has drawn large crowds in heavily conservative states and counties, it has also raised a lot of money. According to Politico, Ocasio-Cortez has raised $9.6 million in the first three months of 2025.
The amount was more than five times what she raised in 2024’s first quarter. The donations come as progressives call for her to take on a 2028 primary challenge against Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer.
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A majority of Ocasio-Cortez’s donations have come from first-time donors, seen as an encouraging sign for Democrats as they look to tap into frustrations over policies being enforced by the Trump administration, and gain some momentum for the 2026 midterms.
The messaging of the tour has also been centered around the role of billionaires like Elon Musk and his DOGE team in the White House.
“It is not a coincidence that billionaires like Elon Musk have dumped billions into this election to support Trump,” Ocasio-Cortez said. “And he isn’t doing it out of charity.”
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With Ocasio-Cortez being a vocal critic of some of her fellow Democrats, some party members have opposed her potential leadership. Others have also expressed concern over the audience at the rallies, saying the attendees represent their base voters whom they do not need to court.
Republicans like Idaho Gov. Brad Lee have opposed the rallies, who took to the social media platform X with a post saying that the state he represents does not need progressive policies that Sanders and Ocasio-Cortez favor. The pair stopped in the city of Nampa as part of the tour.
Montana, a Republican stronghold, is their next tour stop.
