Zoom: His visit to Buffalo and Ithaca was officially aimed at increasing Democratic turnout in the midterms. But it was also a way to test AOC’s appeal away from its home base of Queens and the Bronx, and to build relationships with locals.
- In Buffalo, she met privately with Mayor Sean Ryan, then held an impromptu press conference with him, generating coverage of the duo on local television news.
- She and her team then launched a voter turnout operation that could help them gather information about the electorate outside of New York City.
- “I want to be very frank about our intentions here, which is to transform the state of New York,” Ocasio-Cortez told activists at a Buffalo arts center who were attending one of her training sessions aimed at getting inactive voters to the polls.
- In Ithaca, she appeared at an apple festival with Rep. Josh Riley (D-N.Y.) and on Sunday she was scheduled to headline a “Students vs. Billionaires” town hall. It’s friendly territory: the city is home to several elected democratic socialists and Ocasio-Cortez is a member of the Democratic Socialists of America.
The plot: AOC says she’s genuinely undecided about whether to run for the White House or the Senate. His recent activities upstate suggest it wasn’t a fake.
- Ryan said Ocasio-Cortez has spoken with state officials about how to help communities beyond New York City.
- Meanwhile, some influential Democrats in early presidential primary states told us they haven’t yet heard from AOC. And she hasn’t made public visits this year to some of those early states, in contrast to other potential 2028 contenders who are virtually living there.
Many political insiders I believe that if Ocasio-Cortez ran for an open Senate seat, she would eliminate the Democratic field.
- Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), who is serving his fifth term, has not said whether he will run for re-election.
- AOC received a rock star welcome during her upstate tour, with Ryan noting that at City Hall, “a young man really, literally shouted across the hall, like, ‘Oh my God, Congresswoman, can I take a picture with you?'”
Yes, but: Ocasio-Cortez has also made several moves that could lead to a presidential bid. She traveled the country, moderated her stance on some cultural issues, and spoke about her journey into egg freezing.
- She recently told the New York Times that she would consider running for president after the midterm elections.
Between the lines: An exchange with Ocasio-Cortez opened a window into how she approaches her decision.
- We asked her what she thinks about the future of the progressive movement as she considers a run for the White House. In the last two open Democratic presidential primaries, there has been a clearly progressive standard-bearer, and many on the left believe she is their only hope for 2028.
- She didn’t seem convinced by this argument.
- “The movement is much bigger than any one person,” she told us.
The bottom line: AOC suggested her choice wouldn’t just be a matter of ideology.
- “These decisions are not always a matter of experts or ideology. It’s about putting country first,” she said. “What’s important is ending the corrupt rule of the Trump administration, as well as all of its cronies.”
- When asked if that means she’s weighing “electability” when determining her next move, she said, “I don’t see who wouldn’t.
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