In an interview with The Intercept's podcast, the progressive hero and firebrand said that Democrats have failed to create a succession plan once Pelosi and her generation of longtime leaders — many of them now in their 80s — step aside. Pelosi has indicated that this upcoming two-year term will be her last as Speaker. “I do think that we need new leadership in the Democratic Party … the internal dynamics of the House has made it such that there's very little option for succession,” said Ocasio-Cortez, who is 31. “It's easy for someone to say, ‘Oh well, you know, why don't you run?’ but the House is extraordinarily complex, and I'm not ready. It can't be me. I know that I couldn't do that job."