There’s an old perpetual motion money machine in D.C. And it goes something like this. Politicians raise money to run for office. And they run for office to raise money. Anyone who’s been around the block a few times remembers ‘candidates’ with no serious plan or a credible candidacy, but took off on social media and raised millions (or even more) and wasted them on a bid with no other purpose than to raise money.

(And if you’ve also been around the block or read The Point regularly, you know some of the tricks politicians can use to turn campaign donations into cold hard cash.)

So that brings us to AOC and her nearly $10 million.

AOC raised nearly $10 million in the first quarter of 2025—a haul in line with some presidential candidates.

That’s a whole lot of money for a congresswoman in a non-competitive lefty district who couldn’t lose an election.

Is AOC finally going to primary Schumer? While AOC wouldn’t win an actual election against Schumer, New York’s Dem primaries are fraudulent exercises overseen by radicals who think Stalin was too liberal. (I’m not exaggerating.) So it would get ugly with no easy winner since New Yorkers don’t like either politician very much.

Certainly the leftists helping her raise $10 million expect her to go big, but they may be missing the point.

AOC’s currency isn’t real legislative power (her legislative accomplishments are on par with Bernie Sanders) but attention. She got the influencer economy long before almost everyone except Trump did. AOC got the playbook the way few Republicans who wanted to be the next Trump did. While AOC would love to be president, I don’t know that she’s lusting after Schumer’s seat. It would bolster her reputation, but I never got the sense she likes the actual work of legislating either. What’s more effective is the leverage she has built up now by getting concessions from Schumer by being able to threaten his position. If she actually ran against him and won, she really wouldn’t be that much more of a national figure than she already is now. And if she ran and lost, her power would be destroyed and she would be a joke..

Maybe AOC plans to run for something or maybe she’s playing coy and suggesting that she might to raise more cash.