WASHINGTON — Lefty efforts to recruit “Squad” Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) for a 2028 presidential run are gaining steam on the heels of the Democrats’ blowout midterm victory.
“Tuesday made the waters a lot warmer for AOC to run,” Adam Green, co-founder of the Progressive Change Campaign Committee, told The Post.
“Abdul [El-Sayed] and others proved that anti-establishment leaders who challenge corporate power can win in presidential battleground states.”
Shortly before the midterms, progressives formed the “Ready for AOC” hybrid PAC aimed at getting the lefty darling to throw her hat in the 2028 presidential arena.
The group doled out a petition hailing the “Squad” darling as the Democrats’ best shot at delivering lasting change.
“AOC is one of the most popular politicians in the country, and is uniquely positioned to cohere a coalition of the center and left while running as an anti-establishment working-class populist,” the group’s petition declared.
Some of Ocasio-Cortez’s closest allies now appear to be embracing the idea more openly. Her campaign team had blasted out a memo Tuesday contending that she has a broad appeal beyond deep blue parts of the country.
The memo crowed that her small-dollar fundraising rivals Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) as her allies work to position her for 2028.
“Much will be discussed about the future of the Democratic Party and 2028. You may be asked whether you support her running for President or for Senate in New York or staying in the House,” her congressional campaign wrote in a memo sent to allies on Tuesday.
“Rep. Ocasio-Cortez will continue to do what she’s always done: look for ways to do the most good for the most people,” the memo added. “But, over the course of the last two years, she has proven herself to be one of the most effective voices in the country for America’s working class.”
The Squad rep had crisscrossed the country, holding “Fight Oligarchy” events with Sanders and working to prop up lefty candidates such as Michigan Sen.-elect Abdul El-Sayed.
She even transferred $1 million from her campaign coffers to that of El-Sayed, seemingly eyeing his victory as proof that lefties can win in very competitive races.
“If Abdul can win in Michigan, anybody can win anywhere,” Ocasio-Cortez told his supporters at an event last month.
With El-Sayed’s win, AOC can make the case of a paradigm shift in US politics that the far-left can win beyond deep-blue bastions.
Still, a presidential run could be very risky, with the Bronx and Queens rep acknowledging, “it’s very all or nothing” because if she loses, she may be without a seat.
If she were to vie for the Senate instead, she’d be heavily favored to defeat soon-to-be Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) in a Democratic primary.
Then there is the personal element. Ocasio-Cortez revealed over the summer that she decided to freeze her eggs and noted that her rise to political prominence came at such a young age.
“I think that just comes down to desire, not chances so much,” a former aide to Ocasio-Cortez told The Post.
The congresswoman had always been waiting until the midterms before deciding on her plans for 2028, one insider told The Post. The timing of her annoucement is unclear.
Ocasio-Cortez had mounted something of a charm offensive, stumping with more mainstream Democrats during the 2026 midterms, positioning herself as a Dem who can appeal to moderates and lefties alike.
Several prominent progressives, such as “The Young Turks” co-founder Cenk Uygur, uncle of far-left Twitch streamer Hasan Piker, have voiced skepticism over her attempted kumbaya with the Democratic establishment.
That’s fueled some calls among progressives to look at other potential contenders such as Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.)
Ocasio-Cortez is currently polling in fourth place among speculated 2028 Democratic presidential aspirants, according to the latest RealClearPolitics aggregate of polling data, with 11.8% support.
She was behind former Vice President Kamala Harris at 24.2%, California Gov. Gavin Newsom at 14.2%, and Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg at 13.1%.
