Hate her or love her, far-left Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) is becoming more popular by the day.
Now insiders say AOC is capitalizing on her rising popularity within the Democratic Party and is mounting a run for the White House in 2028.
So why would fellow New York Democrat Chuck Schumer suddenly be freaking out about the move?
Let’s explain.
According to a report from Axios released today, AOC is gearing up to run for higher office as she’s attempted to grow her presence across the country and in her home state of New York.
According to sources close to AOC who spoke with the outlets, she and her team are deciding on whether to run for the Senate or the White House.
AOC has been traveling the country with Sen. Bernie Sanders — a former presidential candidate — on his national “Fighting Oligarchy” tour while she’s also held town halls across upstate New York this summer.
According to the Axios report, AOC has also spent millions of dollars this year on growing her social media presence and obtaining a list of possible supporters and donors to raise her grassroots fundraising ceiling.
Some AOC allies reportedly think that even if she doesn’t believe she could win the nomination for president, she would still run for the White House so the left wing of the Democratic Party has a stake in the primary.
A move similar to Sanders’ surprising showing against Hilary Clinton back in 2016.
However, whatever move AOC decides to make (or not make), it has longtime Democrats like Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer feeling nervous.
If AOC ran for one of New York’s two US Senate seats, she’d likely challenge Schumer.
Schumer has yet to confirm whether he is planning to run for re-election, but AOC has been vocal about her displeasure with Schumer in recent months.
Earlier this month AOC jabbed at Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) for not endorsing Zohran Mamdani, the Democratic nominee for New York City mayor.
In May, AOC also emerged as one of Schumer’s most vocal critics, describing his decision to compromise with President Donald Trump’s administration to avert a government shutdown as a “betrayal.”
“There is a deep sense of outrage and betrayal,” Ocasio-Cortez told reporters. “And this is not just about progressive Democrats. This is across the board, the entire party.”
AOC, who burst onto the political scene when she beat entrenched Congressman Joe Crowley in a 2018 Democratic primary, was elected to a fifth term in the Senate in 2022 in an easy triumph without any serious challengers from the Democratic Party.
A Bernie Sanders aide told The New York Post that it would be the “height of arrogance to assume she couldn’t win the 2028 nomination.”
“She has a supporter base that, in many ways, has a larger potential width than Bernie’s,” Ari Rabin-Havt told reporters.
“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.”
The report clarified that the 35-year-old Democrat has yet to make any decision on the future, but her team wants to give her choices.