Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D., N.Y.) is excluding her campaign ads from being shown in her own congressional district as a report indicates she's likely to seek higher office in 2028.
Ocasio-Cortez has spent nearly $500,000 on Facebook and Instagram ads in the past three months, with more than 93 percent of that spending paying for ads the progressive Democrat excluded from being shown to her own constituents, according to data from Meta's Ad Library reviewed by the Washington Free Beacon. The data suggests that Ocasio-Cortez is laying the groundwork for a national or statewide campaign and bolsters reporting from Axios on Friday that the progressive firebrand is "positioning" herself to run for either the presidency or the U.S. Senate in 2028.
Ocasio-Cortez has not made a final decision about which office she will seek in 2028, Axios reported, citing people familiar with the far-left "Squad" member's operation. "Some close allies believe that even if Ocasio-Cortez doesn't think she could win," the report goes on, "she may want to run for the White House to ensure that the Democratic Party's progressive wing is represented in the primary—just as [Bernie] Sanders did in 2016 against Hillary Clinton."
Ocasio-Cortez's move to exclude her own constituents from her campaign messaging, which was first noted by researcher Lachlan Markay, is of no surprise to GOP consultant John Ashbrook, who said it's a clear attempt to appeal to Schumer's constituents.
"She's always been more interested in Senator Schumer's constituency than her own," Ashbrook told the Free Beacon. "Not atypical for a politician climbing the ladder but certainly anathema to voters wanting something different from Washington."
The report that Ocasio-Cortez is mulling over the direction of her political future comes as Democrats struggle to rally behind a national leader and lack a frontrunner in the next presidential primary. Plagued by financial troubles, bitter infighting, and sinking approval ratings, the Democratic Party has no potential presidential candidate polling at 25 percent or higher—the first time since 1992, CNN chief data analyst Harry Enten said last month.
"Democrats, at this point, are historically divided," Enten said on CNN News Central. "It is a complete and utter mess. It is messier than a hoarder's basement."
Ocasio-Cortez's decision "could shake up the presidential race or the Senate's leadership," Axios reported Friday. The New York congresswoman, who was first elected in 2018, has become a leading figure of her party's progressive wing, with some former aides to Sanders calling her an heir apparent to the Vermont democratic socialist.
If Ocasio-Cortez decides to run for the Senate, she could topple incumbent Chuck Schumer, who has served as Senate Democratic leader since 2017. An April poll found Ocasio-Cortez leading Schumer by nearly 20 percentage points in a potential 2028 primary showdown, though Schumer was facing intraparty backlash at the time for voting to advance a Republican-led funding bill to avert a government shutdown.
