The potential for outspoken progressive Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) to run for president in 2028 isn’t just a wish.
It could soon be a very, real reality for Democrats.
After socialist Zohran Mamdani won the New York City Democratic mayoral primary last week, insiders now believe this could fuel AOC to run for the nation’s highest office in 2028 as Mamdani’s victory could be the first of many signals that the Democratic Party is changing towards a progressive leader like AOC.
“It just continues to open more doors,” Corbin Trent, Ocasio-Cortez’s former spokesperson and author of America’s Undoing Substack, told The New York Post.
“It just broadens her horizons.”
AOC was viewed at the most high-profile Democrat to throw her weight behind Mamdani, 33, at a time when he was widely seen as the underdog in the race who defeated ex-New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo last Tuesday night.
Cuomo got the backing of establishment party members, like South Carolina Rep. Jim Clyburn and former President Bill Clinton — but still lagged behind Mamdani by 7 points in the ranked-choice voting contest.
“You can always count on her being underestimated for sure, that’s a given,” Trent said of AOC.
Mamdani’s shocking victory “gives her a little bit of a national victory, more national attention for going in the right direction and backing the right horse,” he added.
Other Democratic insiders co-signed the view that Ocasio-Cortez would interpret the socialist’s ascent as proof that her style of grassroots, progressive politicking could triumph in the next presidential contest.
However, some cautioned that Cuomo’s defeat was more a result of his own bad brand.
“He had the consulting class, the lobbyists, and nasty operatives, and then his own track record,” one Dem operative assessed.
“There’s nothing to like.”
Nearly seven years ago, Ocasio-Cortez had a similar breakthrough moment when she defeated former House Democratic Caucus Chair Rep. Joe Crowley (D-NY) in a 2018 primary.
The big question now is what’s next for AOC? Will she seek Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer’s (D-NY) seat, or jump into the presidency 10 years after her meteoric rise from bartender to congresswoman?
One Democratic operative told the media that AOC it’s likely that AOC makes a move against Schumer in the 2028 primary.
“The polls say she would beat Schumer at primary, and I think, you see her and Bernie going through some upstate New York tours, I think you’d absolutely see more than you’d expect,” Trent said of her potential.
“People know they’re getting screwed. And I think you go out there and tell that message. It’ll resonate,” he added, in a reference to Mamdani’s platform that stressed affordability.
However, many still believe she is the best shot Dems have in 2028 — even one Republican.
The Democrat Party should stop wasting time, just crown AOC the 2028 nominee now!
She’s a foreign policy mastermind, her legislative wins are too many to count, and she clearly speaks for Democrat leadership.
This is the candidate who can unite climate alarmists, people who… pic.twitter.com/QytW7mm3lm
— Wesley Hunt (@WesleyHuntTX) June 24, 2025
“The Democrat Party should stop wasting time, just crown AOC the 2028 nominee now! She’s a foreign policy mastermind, her legislative wins are too many to count, and she clearly speaks for Democrat leadership,” Rep. Wesley Hunt (R-Texas) said on X after Mamdani’s victory, noting his account wasn’t hacked.
“This is the candidate who can unite climate alarmists, people who think economics is a vibe, and believe that we’re all just citizens of the world. Run AOC, Run!”
If she were to run and win in the next presidential race, she would become the first female and youngest person in US history to hold the office.