New York Democrat Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is one of the biggest stars of the Democratic Party.
And as Democrats continue to reel from the landslide 2024 election loss to now President Donald Trump, many in the party believe that Ocasio-Cortez could — and should — be the next face of the party in the 2028 election.
Ocasio-Cortez has not officially responded to calls for her to run for president.
But a leaked video from her camp is now circulating that many believe could be her unofficial announcement that she will seek the nation’s highest office in 2028.
AOC recently dropped a video that can only be described as a campaign-style video.
Take a look —
View this post on Instagram
And while 2028 is still far away, AOC has also kickstarted a slew of other “campaign” style video on her “Team AOC” X page, including this one:
35,000 and growing in Los Angeles as @aoc takes the stage! pic.twitter.com/3QWSCQfMW9
— Team AOC (@TeamAOC) April 12, 2025
Thanks to a series of massive rallies happening around the country, there is some serious buzz happening around the prospect of AOC becoming the bonafide candidate to represent the Democratic Party in the 2028 presidential election.
Reports from the ground say that AOC is helping draw huge crowds across the country as part of a “Fighting Oligarchy” tour with Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.).
The surprisingly large interest in the tou has fueled speculation about her future political ambitions — including a run at The White House in 2028.
Both AOC and Sanders have been touring the country and holding rallies in major cities, most recently generating crowd sizes of tens of thousands in Salt Lake City and Los Angeles, according to reports.
The duo have been traveling to other cities across the country in recent weeks, holding rallies predominantly in Western cities like Denver; Tucson, Ariz.; and Nampa, Idaho.
The general excitement from the tour has led to questions about AOC’s future amid signs of Democratic frustration with the party’s current leadership.
“She represents the next generation of Democratic politics,” said Basil Smikle, former executive director for the New York State Democratic Party.
The tour has been billed as “hitting the road to have real discussions across America on how we move forward to take on the Oligarchs and corporate interests who have so much power and influence in this country.”
Ocasio-Cortez is often featured at the events, which the Sanders team has said have attracted thousands of people, including 20,000 inside the venue in Salt Lake City alone and many thousands more in Los Angeles.
“I think what she has been saying, either tacitly or explicitly, is that there needs to be a generational shift in the party’s leadership and its message to voters. She essentially did that in her race against Joe Crowley.”
AOC’s presence as a foil to the Democratic Party’s establishment is not a secret.
She has been vocal during her tenure in Congress against long-standing Democratic leaders, including most recently Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer.
Schumer’s recent vote to advance the Republican spending bill, which averted a government shutdown but cut deeply into nondefense programs and received only one Democratic vote in the House.
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., has emerged as one of Schumer’s most vocal critics, describing his decision to compromise with President Donald Trump’s administration 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 is polling extremely favorably in her home state at a potential run for Senate — including a run against fellow New Yorker Schumer.
According to a survey by the liberal firm Data for Progress, that was shared with Politico, 55% of Democratic likely voters said they supported or leaned toward supporting AOC, while 36% backed or leaned toward backing Schumer.
As for presidential aspirations?
Kamala Harris topped a new poll on who Democrats would back in the 2028 presidential primary if it was held today — but AOC did come in third place.
Despite losing the 2024 election to Donald Trump, the former vice president was backed by 36% of Democratic and Democratic-leaning voters in Morning Consult’s latest poll.