Allies to Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) say she is weighing a number of options as she considers the next steps in her political career, including a run for president.
The allies say she is also considering a possible challenge to Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) amid frustration from a number of Democrats who say the party needs to clear the way for fresh voices.
“Why wouldn’t she be considering this?” said one source who has spoken to the congresswoman about her options. “She’s one of the biggest voices in the Democratic Party, she fundraises like no one else, and she’s authentic and true to herself. Can’t say that about a lot of other people in the party.”
Democratic strategist Joel Payne, who has not spoken to the congresswoman, added that “one of her clear advantages is that she offers not only energy and a generational change but a built in constituency.”
“Very few people on either side of the aisle can offer that off the gate,” he said.
Axios first reported Friday that Ocasio-Cortez, also known as AOC, is eying a presidential run in 2028 and potentially a Senate bid.
Some Democrats on Friday celebrated the news that Ocasio-Cortez was considering a run for president. Democrats have been desperate for a shot in the arm a year after Democrats lost not only the White House but the Senate and the House. Since then, Democrats have lacked direction and a message that can appeal to voters.
But Ocasio-Cortez has been a bright spot in an otherwise dismal year for Democrats. She has appeared alongside Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) — who has mass appeal on the left thanks to his 2016 and 2020 presidential bids — on a national tour dubbed “Fighting Oligarchy.”
The Democratic rising star has also held town halls in upstate New York over the summer, signaling to some that she was taking a possible Schumer challenge seriously.
Progressives say it isn’t far-fetched to think that the congresswoman could win in a primary. For starters, she is top fundraiser in the Democratic Party, luring an unprecedented amount of small dollar checks — particularly for a House member.
She also has the ability to speak directly with tens of millions of online followers on platforms including TikTok, Instagram and Bluesky. According to the report in Axios, she has spent millions of dollars growing and cultivating her online following and obtaining a list of donors and potential supporters who could continue to help boost her fundraising.
“Her ascension in both government and politics does foreshadow a growing political movement,” said Democratic strategist Basil Smikle, who served as the executive director of the New York State Democratic Party.
“Now the question is that replicable statewide and nationally?” Smikle said. “I think it is.”
Other Democratic strategists agree, saying there’s an opening for Ocasio-Cortez if she wants one in the 2028 race.
“To the extent that Bernie Sanders is not running again, she has the opportunity to take that mantle and the voters who have fervently supported him, not to mention the next generation of young voters,” said Democratic strategist Rodell Mollineau.
Ocasio-Cortez, Mollineau said, would likely run into the same pitfalls that other progressive candidates would, including the idea that her policies and philosophy are too far left for the country.
“That being said, anyone who can tell you where voters are going to be in 2028 is lying,” Mollineau said.
“There’s one theory that says after four more years of Trump, people might want to go back to normal,” he added. “But there are also those who think the pendulum is going to swing all the way to the other side and want a candidate to break the system. The latter theory works better for her candidacy.”
There are those who think Ocasio-Cortez would have a better shot at winning a Senate race, uprooting Schumer in the same way she blindsided former Rep. Joe Crowley (N.Y.) — a ten-term incumbent and the fourth most powerful Democrat at the time — in 2018.
They say the congresswoman can tap into the generational anger many in the party are feeling.
“She could win in the Senate,” said one source in the Sanders orbit who has spoken to Ocasio-Cortez, adding that running for president still seems like a step too far for her.
But one Democratic strategist said winning the Senate also seems insurmountable.
“Schumer sees her coming a f—— mile away,” the strategist said. “And he has relationships that go back decades.”
One unknown factor for Ocasio-Cortez’s candidacy in either race, multiple Democrats said, is whether Zohran Mamdani — whom she has staunchly supported — is able to win the New York City mayoral race and if so, how effective he is at governing.
“If it’s a complete train wreck, it’ll really hurt her chances,” one strategist predicted.
Either way, one thing is certain, few people have her star power.
“Regardless of whether or not you think AOC is a viable candidate, she will get more airtime and attention than other hopefuls with longer resumes,” Mollineau said.
