Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D) spent the weekend in Buffalo and Ithaca building a political footprint far beyond her Queens and Bronx base, and her own words suggest a 2028 Senate run is a live option.
The New York City Democrat met privately with Buffalo Mayor Sean Ryan, held a joint press conference with him, and launched a voter-turnout program that could hand her team data on the electorate outside New York City. She told activists her aim is to "transform the state of New York."
The trip was billed as midterm turnout work, but it doubled as a test of her appeal upstate. In Ithaca, she appeared with Rep. Josh Riley at an apple festival and was scheduled to headline a "Students vs. Billionaires" town hall in a city home to several democratic socialist elected officials. Rep. Ocasio-Cortez is a member of the Democratic Socialists of America.
She says she is undecided between the Senate and the White House, and she will consider a presidential run after the midterms. Axios reported that influential Democrats in early primary states say they have not heard from her, and that she has not made public visits this year to some of those states, unlike other possible 2028 contenders. Asked whether electability factors into her thinking, she said she doesn't see who wouldn't weigh it.
The Senate route may be the smoother one. Political insiders told Axios that if she ran for an open seat, she would likely clear the Democratic field, and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, in his fifth term, has not said whether he will seek reelection. Ocasio-Cortez has also toured the country and moderated her stance on some cultural issues, moves some have tied to a possible White House bid.
For now, she says the movement is bigger than any one person, and she is keeping both doors open. Her decision on the presidency comes after November. Schumer's plans could shape everything else.
