Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) is keeping Democrats in suspense as speculation swirls about her next career move.
The star progressive launched a video last month reminiscent of a presidential pitch, stoking new questions about her political ambitions — with some wondering about a 2028 bid for the White House and others suggesting she could challenge Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) that same year.
Ocasio-Cortez has dodged questions about either possibility, stressing a focus on the current political moment, but anticipation is building as she tours the country alongside Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), revving up her base and reaching out to voters across the country.
“It would not be out of the realm of possibility that she would want to be a presidential candidate. She’s very ambitious. She’s very smart. She has an uncanny ability to raise money. She understands social media. She’s incredibly popular with younger voters, and she’s got the right issues,” said Hank Sheinkopf, a Democratic strategist based in the Empire State.
“It’s a question of timing. When is best? When is the most opportune time for her to take advantage of all that?”
The campaignlike clip released last month includes parts of Ocasio-Cortez’s remarks during a stop with Sanders in Idaho, showing footage of the congresswoman interacting with rallygoers during their “Fighting Oligarchy” tour across the country.
“Idaho, I am so touched being here. I’m a girl from the Bronx. To be welcomed here in this state, all of us together, seeing our common cause — this is what this country is all about,” Ocasio-Cortez says in the clip. “And from the waitress who is now speaking to you today from this podium, I can tell you: Impossible is nothing.”
Though the video points to her House campaign in New York’s 14th Congressional District, some observers saw it as leaning toward a more national audience.
“Because of my Instagram post?” Ocasio-Cortez told reporters last week, when asked about a potential presidential or Senate bid. “Listen, I’m — it’s a video. And frankly, I think what people should be most concerned about is the fact that Republicans are trying to cut Medicaid right now and people’s health care is in danger.”
When a Fox News reporter pressed her about polling suggesting she’d be a top contender, Ocasio-Cortez replied that “to me, this moment isn’t about campaigns or elections or politics.”
She offered a similar answer when Politico asked her about a possible Senate bid in late March, saying her “central focus” is on making sure Democrats stand up to the GOP.
Early numbers on a possible 2028 field find former Vice President Kamala Harris as the clear favorite for the next cycle, though she hasn’t signaled her plans either. But Ocasio-Cortez has cropped up in several recent surveys as another potential favorite, alongside the likes of former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D).
In Morning Consult data this week, Harris had a little more than a third of support from Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents, followed by Buttigieg at 10 percent. Ocasio-Cortez, Newsom and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz (D) were tied at 5 percent each.
Roughly 3 in 10 listed Harris as their “ideal candidate” for 2028 in YouGov/The Economist polling last month, followed by Buttigieg with 9 percent, Newsom with 8 percent and Ocasio-Cortez with 7 percent, a hair above Sanders.
Ocasio-Cortez also raked in nearly $10 million in the first quarter of the year, her strongest fundraising quarter yet, according to her campaign. And the rallies with fellow populist progressive Sanders have pulled in tens of thousands of attendees, fueling grassroots enthusiasm and exciting young voters.
Meghan McCain, the daughter of the late Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), said last week that Ocasio-Cortez is “going to run” and that “her message of economic populism is more powerful than people are giving her credit for.” Former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) forecast that she’s on the rise and could be the next party leader soon.
Pollster Nate Silver and former 538 podcast host Galen Druke last month both gave early predictions that the 35-year-old is the Democrats’ likely 2028 pick.
“The chatter is that she’s feeling out running for president in 2028, or at least forcing the discussion to be that way,” said California-based Democratic strategist Steven Maviglio.
But the 2028 cycle is “light years away in political time,” he noted. “She’s got all kinds of time to figure out what she’s going to do, what our opportunities are going to be, how the ground has shifted.”
And since Democrats already have a deep bench of potential contenders heading into the next White House race, it may be “kind of silly” for Ocasio-Cortez to commit early on.
“My sense is that there’ll be a few [candidates] that jump the gun, because that’ll get them attention they otherwise may not have. But the wiser, bigger, more formidable candidates will wait a while just to take the temperature on what their chances are. … It’s going to be all over the map. It’s going to be a competitive, expensive clash of ideas,” Maviglio said.
Some see Ocasio-Cortez as a potential contender for the upper chamber.
Schumer, who has held his seat representing New York since 1999, is up for reelection in 2028, and he’s facing criticism over his leadership and Democrats’ response to the Trump administration. Ocasio-Cortez strongly pushed back against him for voting to advance the recent GOP-crafted funding bill.
A survey from the liberal firm Data for Progress, reported by Politico last month, found Ocasio-Cortez the favorite over Schumer by double digits in a hypothetical primary.
Democratic strategist Fred Hicks suggested she’s “laying the groundwork for the Senate” through the recent moves that appear to some as presidential hints.
Amid party tensions, Hicks said, it may be a better move for her to generate chatter about a possible presidential run “and then pivot to the Senate.” He pointed to the recent conflict after Democratic National Committee (DNC) Vice Chair David Hogg’s group launched an effort to spend big on primary challenges against House Democrats in safe blue seats.
“The DNC and Democratic power structure … has outright stated its opposition to incumbents being Primaried. With that in mind, if AOC is considering a run against Schumer, at THIS time, it is best for her to create chatter for another office, get her footing, and then pivot,” Hicks said in a text message.
She also appears to be weighing a run for the top Democratic position on the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, a position she tried for against Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-Va.) last year. Connolly announced this week he would step aside, though Ocasio-Cortez has yet to confirm her intentions.
Regardless of her next steps, observers largely see Ocasio-Cortez, who was the youngest woman elected to Congress when she assumed the office at 29, with a bright future in the party as it undergoes a period of soul-searching following November’s losses.
“When we don’t have a clear, articulate message from the party leadership and AOC is talking about making sure that we have a living wage, canceling student debt, building out green infrastructure, people understand that that’s the future of the party,” said Angelo Greco, a progressive operative who worked on Sanders’s presidential campaign.
“She bridges the gap when there’s a vacuum from the leadership in place today,” Greco said, though he declined to speculate on her specific next steps.
“I think the future is bright for AOC. She has a number of options.”