AOC Weighs 2028 White House or Senate Run, Trails in Polls

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., is reportedly positioning herself for a potential presidential or Senate run in 2028, even as recent polls show her trailing other Democrat hopefuls for the White House nomination.

Her office has declined to comment on her political future, but sources close to the progressive New York representative say she is either aiming for a presidential nomination or considering a challenge to Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, 74, who is up for reelection, Axios reported Friday.

Her eventual decision could reshape the Democratic Party's future. If she chooses a Senate race, the contest would pit Schumer, a longtime party traditionalist, against Ocasio-Cortez, 35, widely considered the party's most prominent progressive.

Still, Ocasio-Cortez faces a steep climb in early primary polling for a White House bid. According to a RealClearPolitics average of surveys taken between July 13 and Sept. 2, she stands at about 10% support, trailing California Gov. Gavin Newsom (20%), former Vice President Kamala Harris (19%), and former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg (15%). Individual polls show her fluctuating between 4% and 19%, with Newsom, Harris, or Buttigieg typically in the lead.

Ocasio-Cortez, or AOC, has spent much of this year traveling across the country and to parts of New York far from her Bronx and Queens district. She has invested millions in building her already formidable online presence and recruited former senior advisers to Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., to strengthen her operation.

She has also used town halls in upstate New York to broaden her appeal for a statewide run.

"Plattsburgh, we are here because every town, every city, every neighborhood in this state matters," she told one gathering this summer. "Every corner matters. No one deserves to be ignored."

The congresswoman has also joined Sanders on his national "Fighting Oligarchy" tour, and some allies believe she could follow Sanders' example in 2016, entering a presidential primary to ensure progressives have a voice even if she does not expect to win.

Former Sanders aide Ari Rabin-Havt said Ocasio-Cortez's reach gives her unique potential. "She has a supporter base that, in many ways, has a larger potential width than Bernie's," he told Axios. "It would be the height of arrogance to assume she couldn't win the 2028 nomination."

Since defeating a powerful incumbent in 2018, Ocasio-Cortez has risen quickly as a national figure, championing Medicare for All, the Green New Deal, and abolishing Immigration and Customs Enforcement. She has also drawn energy from clashes with the Trump administration.

Her digital operation is also considered one of the most aggressive in U.S. politics. Kyle Tharp, author of the newsletter Chaotic Era, said Ocasio-Cortez's team has spent more on digital ads this year than nearly any other politician, bringing in hundreds of thousands of small-dollar donations and millions of new social media followers.

Across platforms, she now has 36.7 million followers, far outpacing Schumer and many potential 2028 contenders.

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