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AOC Weighs a 2028 White House Run
With no candidate formally launched, Ocasio-Cortez says she will decide after the 2026 midterms between a presidential bid and a Senate run.
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, the 36-year-old1 New York Democrat2, will weigh whether to run for president after the 2026 midterms1, 2. She told The New York Times so in a September 22 interview1, which the paper described as her most detailed insight yet into a possible run1.
“I think about it personally.”
White House or Senate
The White House is not her only option1. Ocasio-Cortez is also weighing a possible run for the New York Senate seat held by Chuck Schumer, putting two potential 2028 campaigns in play1. Whichever path she takes, She has described lasting policy change—not simply holding office—as her ambition2.
Her Own Words
Asked about a White House bid, she answered plainly: “I think about it personally.”2 Nothing is off the table.1 In a New York Times interview, Ocasio-Cortez said, “Every element of this is something that’s within consideration.”1
The timing weighs on her.1 “There’s an argument that some make that this is a very unique political window and, oftentimes in politics, you do only get one shot,”1 she said, adding that “life doesn’t wait for you to be ready for things. Sometimes life just makes things ready for you.”1
Ocasio-Cortez also said she considers electability, including the fact that the country has never elected a woman president2. “Why are we pretending that this is not a factor?” she asked.
New Hampshire Poll
A University of New Hampshire Survey Center poll conducted July 15–20 put Ocasio-Cortez at 22% among likely Democratic primary voters in New Hampshire, one point ahead of Pete Buttigieg2.