Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., greet the crowd together during a "Fighting Oligarchy" tour event at Arizona State University in Tempe, Ariz., March 20, 2025. (Ross D. Franklin/AP)
The pair’s windfall has dovetailed with issues of national focus that have heightened progressives’ visibility. The government shutdown, the race for New York City mayor and persistent questions about the party’s direction have all given figures like Ocasio-Cortez and Sanders a platform to make their case — even as the rest of the party has struggled to offer an alternative vision to Republican momentum.
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Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., who also aligns with the leftward-leaning flank of the party, believes donors within the Democrat base are looking for something else and are willing to spend to show it.
"More than seven million people showed up on No Kings Day," Warren said, referring to a series of protests against the administration that took place over the weekend in Washington, D.C. and elsewhere. "They are deeply worried about the direction that Donald Trump is taking this country, and they want a way to fight back. Political contributions are part of the way to being in the fight."
Warren suggested that support might be reciprocal to the Trump administration’s aggressive pursuit of its priorities in its first nine months in a way that wasn’t as prescient before the election.
"It’s beyond anything we’ve seen in modern history," Warren said. "Folks might be excused for not having anticipated it."
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Progressives could also be seeing more support in Congress because of what’s happening on the outside. Sanders pointed to Zohran Mamdani, the Democratic candidate for New York City mayor, as one example of progressives finding the right faces to represent their movement and generate momentum.
"He’s got 80,000 volunteers knocking on doors. He’s generated a lot of excitement. He’s exactly the type of candidate we need all over this country," Sanders said.
As lawmakers debate a government funding extension, Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, R-La., awaits the arrival of the leader of the Orthodox Christian Church, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew at the Capitol on Sept. 17, 2025. (J. Scott Applewhite/AP)
When asked if progressives are undergoing a watershed moment, Sanders said that they have simply adjusted to the country's political landscape.
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"The platform changes every day with the changing world," Sanders said. "It’s a tough situation."
Leo Briceno is a politics reporter for the congressional team at Fox News Digital. He was previously a reporter with World Magazine.
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/aoc-sanders-rake-millions-far-left-cements-grip-democrat-party