Despite her virtually non-existent legislative record in Congress, the New York representative remains one of the highest profile figures of the far Left, with polls indicating she could be a serious challenger to Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer if she decides to primary him in 2028.
She is also in the mix for the 2028 presidential nomination, though she has not yet made a firm decision about her future.
Jason McGuire, president of New York Families Foundation, says a shift is occurring in the Democratic Party.
"They are pushing more and more of the more senior members to the side," he observes. "I think of a Jerrold Nadler, for example, who finally is seeing that he needs to step aside, and there are some younger up-and-coming candidates that are filling those roles very quickly. AOC, if she desires to move in that role, she, too, will have to move quickly because if not her, there will be others who will challenge Senator Schumer."
Known for her unapologetically progressive platform and her public style, the self-identified Democratic socialist wants U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement abolished, and she advocates for a single-payer, universal healthcare system. Still, some on the Left view her as a moderate.
"She's often portrayed in conservative circles as just that bartender that won a seat in Congress, but just that bartender has raised a tremendous amount of dollars from small dollar donors across the country," McGuire notes. "Don't underestimate AOC. She does bring a lot of wrong positions on the issues; I do not support her stance, but I can recognize that she has some game when it comes to politics."
He believes Ocasio-Cortez has a sense of where her party is and that she is positioning herself to be a leader within it in the years to come, though he does not think she will be ready for a presidential run in 2028.
