Ocasio-Cortez weighs whether to seek Senate seat or White House bid in 2028

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s political future has remained a topic of discussion within the left wing — and there’s increasing speculation that she could be set for a collision course with Democrats’ top leader in Congress.

The progressive rock star says she’s weighing what to do next, whether it be a 2028 presidential run or a bid for the seat currently held by Sen. Chuck Schumer, a fellow Democrat and New Yorker.

“I know there is a lot of speculation about what I will decide to do in 2028. I get asked about it nearly every interview and event,” Ocasio-Cortez wrote in a recent fundraising email to supporters.

The 36-year-old lawmaker with a massive social media footprint said in a recent New York Times interview that her decision, which could happen sometime after this year’s midterm elections, would come down to answering the question, “Where can I do the most good?”

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If she decides on a statewide rather than a national run, it could set up a titanic Democratic Party and generational battle between her and the soon-to-be 76-year-old Schumer, who was first elected to Congress nearly a half century ago and has served in the Senate since 1999.

Ocasio-Cortez, in her interview, made clear that her decision about 2028 would not be dictated by someone else.

“I don’t think that my decisions would come down to deference,” she said.

Meanwhile, a campaign swing the past few days throughout upstate New York by Ocasio-Cortez raised some eyebrows. While the trip was aimed at boosting fellow Democrats on the ballot in this year’s elections, it sparked speculation that it was also a move by Ocasio-Cortez to build relationships far from her base in New York City.

Schumer has left his 2028 plans open and has not announced whether he’ll run for yet another term. When asked about re-election, he’s repeatedly said his “first focus is winning in 2026, getting back the Senate in 2026.”

Digital reached out to Schumer’s office regarding his thinking on a potential 2028 re-election run, but didn’t receive a response by the time this story was published.

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Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., prepares to speak during a press conference following a policy luncheon at the U.S. Capitol on July 21, 2026, in Washington, D.C. (Getty Images)

But a potential intra-party clash between Ocasio-Cortez and Schumer may never materialize, according to speculation from plugged-in Democratic strategists familiar with the New York State political landscape, who doubt Schumer will seek re-election even if his party wins back the Senate majority in November’s midterms.

“Everyone has an expiration date,” said one strategist, who like the others asked to remain anonymous to speak more freely.

And referring to Ocasio-Cortez, the strategist told Digital, “I think she’s in a good position to win statewide.”

Another operative, pointing to Schumer, speculated, “I think Schumer wants to go out on top and with a good legacy and one way to do that is to hand the reins over to this inspiring generational leader. At the same time, New York politics are insane and there are lots of people gunning for that spot and he may feel like he can’t do that.”

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Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., and Senate Minority Leader Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., speak on Capitol Hill on Aug. 3, 2025. (Kent Nishimura/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)

“He’s always been pretty smart when it came to her,” the operative noted. “As other Dems were still warming to her ….he was one of the first members of the New York delegation to be very welcoming and thoughtful and worked with her on legislation during COVID.”

Schumer’s approval ratings among New York voters is deep into negative territory at 36%-54% according to a Quinnipiac University poll conducted Sept. 17-20. The senator’s favorable ratings were also underwater, at 34%-51%.

Meanwhile, 41% of Empire State voters viewed Ocasio-Cortez in a favorably, with 36% seeing her in an unfavorable light.

“He was the supreme retail politician. Once he became leader, he became a swamp creature from Washington and it started to chip away his popularity back home,” a third Democratic strategist said of Schumer.

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Schumer’s short-term goal is to win back the Senate majority in the midterms.

Asked if that prospect would make potentially challenging Schumer more difficult, Ocasio-Cortez told the New York Times, “That would honestly be the best possible problem we could have as a country.”

“We’re working hard to have that problem, and I’ll cross that bridge when I get to it,” she added.

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Recent fundraising text messages sent to supporters appeared to take jabs at the Democratic establishment, of which Schumer is a part. She did not name any particular person in the notes, however.

“The establishment believes that there’s only one path to winning: Don’t upset the status quo, don’t stand up tot he concentration of greed taking over our country, and instead spend most of your time fundraising from powerful donors,” it read. “But Alexandria’s campaign didn’t win in 2018 by following the establishment playbook.”

Another message said her 2018 victory “represented a threat to the typical D.C. power structure that existed back then and still exist now.”