(The Hill) Confidence is growing among some influential Democrats about Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s (D-N.Y.) prospects in the 2028 presidential race.
The New York Democrat has quickly become one of the party’s most prominent voices, tapping into a surge of populist energy on the left while growing her following as Democrats search for a leader nearly two years after their crushing 2024 losses.
Some Democrats are even drawing comparisons to former President Obama’s insurgent 2008 campaign — and the grassroots campaign that helped catapult him to the presidency.
“If she raises her hand … the number of volunteers will be nothing like we’ve seen since 2007,” Robert Wolf, the longtime Democratic donor who hosted Obama’s first fundraiser in New York in 2007, said during a conversation on The Hill Insider’s Fight for 2028.
“The young people are going to come out in droves, and I think it would literally change the field overnight,” he said. “And if she doesn’t run, then it’s going to be a totally different race.”
“AOC has been really interesting to watch the last few months,” Wolf continued, using the congresswoman’s nickname. “I find myself interested in seeing what she says and does.”
Democratic strategists also say those in their party are taking notice of Ocasio-Cortez’s strengths.
“I think she has continued to show over the past few years that she has very sharp political and policy skills that every month more people are realizing what they thought about her was partially a caricature,” said Democratic strategist Eddie Vale. “And when you combine that with her generational talent for communicating in a way and on platforms that most Democrats still struggle with, her stock is definitely going to keep rising.”
In recent weeks, Ocasio-Cortez has aimed at appealing to voters beyond the Democratic base. She’s also sought to evolve her image — perhaps with an eye on skeptics.
In an appearance on ABC News’s “This Week” in August, Ocasio-Cortez quoted a New York City Council member, saying, “Woke 1 was crazy,” before laughing.
The moment was a signal, Democrats concluded, that she was trying to appeal beyond her base.
“That to me said she has her mind on higher office,” one strategist said. “Whether that’s running for Senate or running for the presidency, it was a definite nod to folks who might be skeptical about her.”
Ocasio-Cortez also garnered headlines for her public conversation on freezing her eggs. For days, as she gained thousands of followers on her social media platforms, she took viewers along her personal journey, even filming herself administering fertility injections and posting the videos to Instagram.
If she does run for president, Democrats say, she would kick off her campaign with a huge advantage.
For starters, she’s among the most recognizable politicians with strong name ID and a huge social media following. She can easily draw a crowd, easily luring earned media.
She is also one of the party’s most prolific fundraisers.
In a fundraising appeal to her supporters this week to help candidates win the House and Senate, she nodded to all the interest that she’s been getting on her political prospects.
Ocasio-Cortez said she knows “there’s a lot of speculation right now about what I’ll decide to do in 2028.”
“I get asked about it in nearly every interview and at every event. In some ways, I understand the interest,” the congresswoman said.
Democrats say Ocasio-Cortez could own the progressive lane right out of the gate, even though some others — including Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) — are openly flirting with a run and are already starting to recruit staff.
They also say the new Democratic map of primary states could play in her favor, particularly with Nevada, New Mexico and Michigan among the first five states to vote.
“What’s happening now is a lot of folks are approaching AOC with a little more openness because they’re saying this moment may call for someone who has that credibility with progressives at a time when progressives are having a moment,” said one longtime Democratic strategist.
Still, that strategist warned that the New Yorker must thread the needle carefully so she doesn’t lose the electorate that elevated her in the first place.
“She has more credibility with mainstream voices than she ever has, but there’s a risk in that because she can’t alienate her base. She needs to hold credibility with that base,” the strategist said.
The strategist and others pointed to the rise of democratic socialists as potentially problematic for Ocasio-Cortez. During her reelection campaign in 2024, for example, the national chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America withdrew their endorsement of her because some of its members felt as though her views were not aligned with their positions on Israel and Palestine.
Other strategists still question whether a progressive candidate can win nationally in a presidential election.
“I will go to my grave emphasizing that while it may work in a city like New York or in a Democratic-leaning district, it’s not going to work in swing states we need to win,” said one longtime Democratic operative.
But Vale underscored that the Democratic primary is still wide open.
“Like everyone else right now, their positives and minuses are mostly just on paper, and the real test will be how long they can stand up in the long slog of actual primaries,” he said.
