AOC reveals what it will take for her to seek White House or Senate

WASHINGTON — New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has admitted to The Post that she’s playing the waiting game, seeing how lefties fare in the midterms before deciding on a possible US Senate or White House run.

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“I will be making any of those considerations after the midterms,” she said last week.

The far-left pol — who is backed by such extremists as controversial streamer Hasan Piker — added she’d be out helping House and Senate candidates in the midterm elections.

“I think we’ll learn a lot in November,” she said.

November will see a plethora of progressives on the ballot, including Abdul El-Sayed in Michigan’s Senate race, Angie Nixon in Florida’s Senate match-up, and House candidates such as Darializa Avila Chevalier (NY) and Melat Kiros (Colo.), who defeated incumbent Democrats in their primaries. 

But regardless of the outcome of those races, more and more Democrats are starting to see the radical four-term congresswoman from New York as a frontrunner for the 2028 Democratic presidential nomination.

They cite a combination of factors, including her strong name recognition, her fundraising prowess and a growing sentiment in the country for a candidate who will be a fighter to take on the system on behalf of the people. 

A top Dem even compared her to former President Barack Obama.

“She’s one of the best communicators that I’ve come across in politics,” the party official told The Post.

“Obama has the same ability to take esoteric philosophical ideas, to break them down and connect to regular people. She has that skill.”

Anti-establishment anger is raging through the country, which many strategists see as a similar situation to the 2016 election, when voters elected the ultimate political outsider, Donald Trump.

But their anger has a different target this year. Instead of being directed at the “system” as in 2016, it’s more focused on billionaires, Big Tech and corporate America in general.

A candidate who feeds into that rage could win, experts say.

Ocasio-Cortez, along with left-wing US Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont, began courting the country’s malcontents with their Fighting Oligarchy platform in March 2025.

They drew massive numbers to their rallies, including in red and swing districts such Las Vegas; Tempe, Ariz.; Nampa, Idaho; Folsom, Calif., and Los Angeles County. 

Changes in the Democratic Party’s primary-race calendar for the next presidential election could boost Ocasio-Cortez’s chances.

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Instead of the heavily white state of New Hampshire kicking off primaries for the party, South Carolina will be first, followed by New Hampshire and then Nevada. South Carolina and Nevada have strong potentially telling pockets of black and latino voters, as well as labor union members.

Voters seem to be paying a lot of attention to AOC. A Bowling Green State University/YouGov poll out last week showed her gaining momentum in the 2028 race, tied with California Gov. Gavin Newsom in third place behind former VP Kamala Harris and ex-Biden Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg.

In a sign of AOC’s growing influence, Republicans are starting to use her as a boogeyman.

GOP Vice President JD Vance, campaigning for GOP candidates in Iowa on Friday, ripping officials who he said have learned how to say nothing.

“Some politicians are very good at it: AOC,” Vance said.

Ocasio-Cortez will be on the campaign trail over the next few months, giving her a chance to hone her message and increase her name recognition even more. 

But as she plays her card close to her chest about her future plans, activists and donors are prepared to support her in whatever she chooses — whether that’s with a White House or primary bid against Sen. Chuck Schumer for New York’s Senate seat, experts said.

AOC and her camp will give time and money to Democrats across New York ahead of the November election, building up her support in the Empire State as a way to keep the Senate an option.

Piker — who has taken heat for saying such things as the US is worse than al-Qaeda when it comes to terrorism — said he’s spoken with Ocasio-Cortez and would campaign for her.

“Oh, absolutely, yes,” he told Axios when asked if he’d be on the trail if she asks.

LinkedIn co-founder Reid Hoffman, a big Democratic donor, is considering supporting her in 2028, he told a Politico conference.

 “It depends a little bit,” he said. “I think she is much more pragmatic than people give her credit for.”

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