Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) is seeing support in polling as she reportedly considers a run for president or the U.S. Senate in 2028.
Axios reported Friday that the progressive firebrand is considering which route to take, but has yet to make a firm decision — and her team is hoping to give her options. Her rumored political path forward could have an impact on the trajectory of the White House race or Democratic leadership in the upper chamber — as Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer will be up for reelection.
CNN’s data guru, Harry Enten, revealed Monday that Ocasio-Cortez’s favorability has grown among Democrats as a potential nominee when compared to Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.)’s bid for president during the 2016 election. He described it as “such a tectonic shift” within the Democratic electorate.
According to a combination of polling from Yahoo News, YouGov and The Washington Post in September, the “Squad” member ranks closer to the top among Democrats compared to Sanders, who stood largely behind former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. While California Gov. Gavin Newsom holds a strong lead in a list of possible Democratic contenders, with 21%, Ocasio-Cortez is within 10 points.
“I never thought I would’ve seen the day when someone as liberal as Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is to the leader,” Enten said, pointing to how Sanders trailed far behind Clinton with 2%, compared to her 69%.
Enten noted that the sudden change comes at a time when the majority of Democratic voters believe that their party leaders should be replaced. A previous poll from Reuters/Ipsos, released in June, found that 62% of respondents are looking for new leadership, while 24% stand in disagreement.
“You go back at the beginning of the Donald Trump presidency, the majority of Democrats said their party leaders were taking their party in the right direction. That is not the case anymore. We’re dealing with a party base that wants to throw out the old, and bring the new,” Enten said, adding that the party is at an “apex” of leaning more liberal than moderate.
According to a Wall Street Journal poll from late July, the Democratic Party had hit an over three-decade low net approval rating — all while the party is “bleeding support” over voter registration compared to the GOP, an analysis from The New York Times revealed.
Axios also revealed that millions have been invested to grow Ocasio-Cortez’s social media presence. Meanwhile, her team is deciding on a list of possible donors and supporters to expand her fundraising campaign.
“Her team has spent more on digital advertising than almost any other politician in 2025, and as a result, they have brought in hundreds of thousands of new small-dollar donations,” Kyle Tharp, the author of a media and politics newsletter that closely tracks online spending, told the outlet.