Although we’re only a few months into Donald Trump’s second term as President of the United States, many dissatisfied voters are already anxiously awaiting the next presidential election in 2028. Trump’s flurry of executive actions, which included terminating thousands of federal employees and enacting mass deportations and strict border policies, have left millions of Americans dissatisfied with the administration. As such, many on the left are already trying to find a Democratic candidate for 2028 that can go head-to-head with the emboldened Republican party.
One person that Democrats have their eye on is Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. AOC has been a representative for New York’s 14th district since 2019, first making national headlines when she beat incumbent Representative Joseph Crawley in the 2018 primary election for the House seat. Since then, AOC has been a familiar name to liberals and conservatives alike, as she has been a vocal supporter of issues like Medicare for All, the Green New Deal, and equal rights for all.
Ocasio-Cortez has taken a unique approach to engaging constituents. While older politicians made stump speeches during the 2020 election, AOC was livestreaming the popular video game Among Us and telling young viewers about the importance of voting. While many Democrats remain silent as Trump stews chaos with his executive actions, AOC has been on the Fighting Oligarchy Tour with Senator Bernie Sanders, reaching hundreds of thousands of voters in rallies across the country. She and her fellow outspoken Democratic representatives including Ilhan Omar, Ayanna Pressley, and Rashida Tlaib (known as “the squad”) have brought a fresh new outlook to politics that the left had been sorely missing.
Ocasio-Cortez also connects with her constituents because she grew up in a working-class family. Before becoming a member of Congress, she was a bartender in New York, something that helps many voters see her as a fellow member of the working class, in a way that they don’t with older, wealthier politicians.
One of the requirements to be President of the United States is to be at least 35 years old, which Ocasio-Cortez now is. Because she is now eligible, many progressives have said they want her to run for president in 2028. Early data from 2028 Democratic primary polls shows that she is one of the top contenders for Democrats, along with Kamala Harris, Pete Buttigieg, and Gavin Newsom.
However, as of April 16, 2025, AOC has not made any comments on whether she intends to run for president. In a Politico article from March 30, Representative Greg Casar (D-TX) said of Ocasio-Cortez running for president, “She’s not thinking about, like, ‘Oh, what’s the next step on the ladder?’ She really thinks about what’s right for the movement.”
So, while it’s still unclear if AOC will put her hat in the ring for president in 2028, it is evident that her work to fight oligarchy and fascism has been inspirational to many voters.