Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., is laying the groundwork for a 2028 bid for either the presidency or the U.S. Senate, according to people familiar with her plans.
Her decision could reshape the Democratic Party’s future—either by entering the presidential race or by challenging Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, 74, who is up for re-election that year, Axios reported.
A Senate contest between Schumer and Ocasio-Cortez, 35, would pit the party’s longtime establishment leader against its most prominent progressive insurgent.
This year, Ocasio-Cortez — widely known as AOC — has expanded her political profile, campaigning nationally and across New York beyond her Bronx and Queens district, while pouring millions into strengthening her already powerful online presence, Axios said.
Ocasio-Cortez has added several former senior advisers to Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., to strengthen her political operation. While she hasn’t decided on her next move, her team is positioning her to keep options open.
This summer, she held a series of town halls in Upstate New York, an effort that could broaden her appeal for a potential statewide Senate campaign, said Axios.
At one event in Plattsburgh, N.Y., 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.”
Ocasio-Cortez has appeared at events nationwide, including joining Sanders on his “Fighting Oligarchy” tour earlier this year, where crowds frequently chanted her name.
Some allies believe that even if she doubts her chances of winning, she may still consider a White House bid to ensure the Democratic Party’s progressive wing is represented in the 2028 primary — much as Sanders did in 2016 against Hillary Clinton.
Ocasio-Cortez rose quickly in national politics after unseating an incumbent Democrat in 2018 as an unapologetic progressive. She has championed policies such as Medicare for All, the Green New Deal, and the abolition of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, drawing large Democratic crowds this year in part through her clashes with the Trump administration.
She has also invested millions in social media and supporter lists to strengthen her grassroots fundraising network, the outlet 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 examines 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,” Tharp noted further.
Ocasio-Cortez has built a following of 36.7 million across her social media platforms, far surpassing Schumer and most potential White House contenders.
Former aides to Bernie Sanders view her as a possible heir to his movement, someone who could broaden his appeal beyond the party’s left wing and quickly raise tens of millions of dollars in a presidential campaign.
“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,” Ari Rabin-Havt, a longtime Sanders aide, told Axios.
“It would be the height of arrogance to assume she couldn’t win the 2028 nomination,” the Sanders aide added.
A survey by Data for Progress released in early April found that Ocasio-Cortez was ahead of Schumer by 19 points in a hypothetical 2028 Democratic primary contest. Although Schumer still retains his title as leader of his party in the upper chamber, his popularity among the party’s base appears to be rapidly declining.
The results were striking: 55% backed Ocasio-Cortez, while only 36% chose Schumer.
The findings were not anomalies. The poll revealed that Schumer had the highest disapproval rating among all Democratic figures tested, whereas Ocasio-Cortez ranked among the most popular.