Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) and her team are positioning her for a possible 2028 run for either president or the U.S. Senate, Axios reported on September 19, 2025, citing people familiar with her operation. She has not decided. A Senate run would likely mean a primary challenge to Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, whose seat is up in 2028.
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York is preparing for a possible run for higher office in 2028, with her team weighing either a presidential campaign or a bid for the U.S. Senate, Axios reported on September 19, 2025, citing people familiar with her operation.
According to the report, Ocasio-Cortez has not made a decision, but her team is working to keep both options open. Her office declined to comment to Axios.
What the Axios report says
Axios reported that Ocasio-Cortez has brought several former senior advisers to Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) into her operation. She has also campaigned across the country and in parts of New York far from her district in the Bronx and Queens, including town halls in Upstate New York this summer, one of them in Plattsburgh. Earlier in 2025, she joined Sanders on his “Fighting Oligarchy” tour.
Her team has spent millions of dollars this year on social media and on building lists of potential supporters and donors, Axios reported. Kyle Tharp, author of the Chaotic Era newsletter, told Axios that the digital spending has brought in “hundreds of thousands of new small-dollar donations.” She has about 36.7 million followers across social media platforms.
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 Senate option
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, 74, is up for re-election in 2028. A Senate bid by Ocasio-Cortez would likely set up a primary contest between the two New York Democrats, which Axios described as a generational clash. A Schumer spokesperson did not respond to Axios’s request for comment.
Her political background
Ocasio-Cortez was first elected in 2018 after defeating 10-term incumbent Rep. Joe Crowley in a Democratic primary, at age 28. She became one of the best-known members of the progressive group of House Democrats often called “the Squad,” alongside Reps. Ilhan Omar, Ayanna Pressley and Rashida Tlaib.
A self-described democratic socialist, she has championed proposals such as the Green New Deal and Medicare for All. Supporters see her as a leading voice for younger and progressive voters, while Republicans and some moderate Democrats argue that her positions are too far to the left to win statewide or national elections.
What comes next
Ocasio-Cortez has not announced plans for either race. Decisions on 2028 campaigns are not expected for some time, and the Democratic presidential field remains open.
Source: Axios
