AOC's 78% win strengthens her hand as DSA pushes for a 2028 White House bid
WASHINGTON, DC: Rep Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s easy, landslide victory in a one-sided battle has strengthened her position for higher political office as allies push for a 2028 White House bid.
AOC won reelection to New York's 14th Congressional District with over a 78% vote share, securing a fifth term in the US House of Representatives.
Her win came as Democrats seized control of the House, meaning she will return to Congress as part of the majority for the first time since 2022.
AOC's victory strengthens her political aspirations
The four-term congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez comfortably defeated her Republican challenger, Diamant Hysenaj, in her Bronx and Queens district, with her victory projected just six minutes after polls closed at 9 pm.
Her victory has solidified her popularity among her mostly Democratic home base and reignited her potential push to run for president in 2028.
It is speculated that, if not for president, she might contest against long-time Sen Chuck Schumer for the party’s leadership position.
Ocasio-Cortez has gained a large following across the country, with tens of millions of people following her on social media. This has given her a reach beyond her New York district, while her nickname, AOC, has become widely recognized in American politics.
She has consistently been broadening her national influence, campaigning alongside Democratic candidates in hotly contested states like Michigan, Massachusetts and Maine.
AOC's allies encourage her to run for 2028
Given her political status beyond her House district or state, AOC’s allies, including the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA), have been encouraging her to contest the Democratic presidential primary.
The Democratic presidential primary is expected to be crowded, with several big names like California Gov Gavin Newsom, former Vice President Kamala Harris, Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear and Georgia Senator Jon Ossoff seen as potential candidates.
Andrew Epstein, a political strategist who works closely with the DSA and played a key role in New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani's rise, recently said that the group’s ultimate goal is to “take over” the Democratic Party, with Ocasio-Cortez being its most obvious choice to lead the effort.
“I cannot imagine any other politician who can mobilize the electorate needed to win the presidency,” Epstein told Belgian newspaper De Tijd in an interview published on October 22.
In September, Ocasio-Cortez told The New York Times that she would give further thought to a presidential run after the midterm elections.
She also acknowledged that running for president in two years, at the end of her next term, would leave her without a job if she lost the race.
“It’s very all or nothing. If I were to run in this cycle, and not win, I would be done … and I am not opposed to that,” she told the outlet.
“That, in and of itself, does not exclude the decision... but it has to make it worth it,” she added.
