Who are these democrats that spoke out in favor of the police during the Floyd riots? They don't exist. Her position quickly became the mainstream on policing and crime in blue states.

That's certainly the GOP argument. Though surprisingly few governmental bodies actually defunded the police, for it to have been a "mainstream" position. In fact, AOC staked out her position in criticism of New York City, because they didn't defund the police to her satisfaction. Democrats realized very quickly that the position the Groups wanted them to take was political poison, and only ended up doing it in a relatively modest number of cities.

Regardless, that's why politicians like Shapiro and Beshear and Whitmer that didn't get out in front of those issues back in the day will be able to avoid taking the shots that AOC (and some others) would take if they ran.

AOC likely thinks of herself as President, for sure. But not from her perch in the House. She needs Schumer or Gillibrand to retire so she can have a far better launching pad in the Senate.

They say every Senator sees a President when they look in the mirror...but the Senate has not been a particularly auspicious launching pad for Presidential ambitions. It's the nature of the job. You're constantly taking votes. You're often taking votes on bills that were drafted by the opposing party specifically to be painful; also you often have to hold your nose and take a vote on a bill from your side that you'd prefer not to cast. Presidents are rarely elected directly from the Senate.

Being a governor is a better perch to reach for the Presidency. Being the Veep is also good (but has its own challenges).