REPORT: AOC Preparing Run For Higher Office

Being a “Squad” member in the age of Trump comes with its perks, as Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) is finding out.

Polling for the 2028 presidential race puts her near the top of the pack among Democrats who have suggested they may vie to lead their party out of the wilderness, and the Bronx-adjacent AOC is doing the same, according to allies who have spoken with her in recent days.

But a bid for the White House is not guaranteed, say sources familiar with AOC’s thinking. She may instead choose to stay in New York and flex her political muscle to unseat a senior member of the state’s congressional delegation.

The congresswoman’s tightly knit team is quietly laying the groundwork for AOC to shake up the U.S. Senate leadership race in 2028, when Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) is up for re-election. By then, the senior senator will be 77, struggling to coexist in a state where the average resident is under 40.

At 35, AOC would bring considerable vitality to the contest, fueling a progressive insurgency to unseat Schumer amid bitter dissatisfaction with his opposition to Republicans. Schumer was sliced and diced by fellow Democrats earlier this year after voting with the majority to avoid a government shutdown and urging his caucus to do the same.

This year, AOC has spent most of her time traveling cross-country with another progressive icon, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT), as part of their “Fight Oligarchy Tour.” The buzzy campaign-style rallies have generated significant media attention and helped the four-term congresswoman carve her credentials into the Democratic Party’s upper echelon.

At one event held in upstate Plattsburgh, New York, she said, “Plattsburgh, we are here because every town, every city, every neighborhood in this state matters. Every corner matters. No one deserves to be ignored.” Chants of “AOC! AOC!” quickly followed.

Other close allies believe that AOC may instead choose to run for president; although she personally doubts her chances of winning the nomination, her presence would ensure that the progressive wing of the party is represented as moderates try and claw it back to the days of centrism and triangulation, they told Axios.

Her platform, which includes Medicare for All, the Green New Deal, and abolishing U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, is a sweet-tooth enticement for an activist base that swells the ranks of presidential campaign staffers and volunteers. She has already spent millions of dollars this year to acquire lists of prospective donors and volunteers to assist in such an effort, Axios reported.

“Her team has spent more on digital advertising than almost any other politician in 2025, and as a result, they have brought in hundreds of thousands of new small-dollar donations,” said Kyle Tharp, author of media and politics newsletter Chaotic Era, which closely tracks online spending.

“She’s also seen record-breaking organic growth on social media, adding several million new followers across Instagram, TikTok, Bluesky, X, and Facebook.”

Some former aides to Sanders see AOC as his natural successor.

Ari Rabin-Havt, a longtime Sanders aide, told Axios: “She has a supporter base that, in many ways, has a larger potential width than Bernie’s. She has been in the glare of the spotlight from day one and has the national campaigning experience a lot of other potential candidates are now trying to get.”

He added: “It would be the height of arrogance to assume she couldn’t win the 2028 nomination.”