Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) on Wednesday declined to back Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) as he prepares to seek his caucus's support to become majority leader in January. Asked by reporters outside the Capitol whether she would support her home-state senator given growing calls for new leadership, Ocasio-Cortez deflected, saying the choice belongs to members of the Senate.
“I think that this is a sentiment that is seen in a lot of places,” Ocasio-Cortez said. “So how the Senate navigates that, that’s up to their decision.”
Schumer, who turns 76 later this month, faces skepticism from some younger Democrats, and several incoming senators—Sens.-elect Adam Hamilton (D-Kan.), Annie Andrews (D-S.C.), Abdul El-Sayed (D-Mich.), and Troy Jackson (D-Maine)—have already said they will vote against him. Despite that, Schumer insists he has secured enough support to win the leadership vote, which requires a majority of the caucus. With Democrats’ enlarged majority after the midterms, he can afford some defections.
The tension mirrors broader intraparty struggles, as Republicans face their own leadership fights following disappointing results. The dynamic has fueled questions about whether Schumer’s long tenure should continue, especially as progressives push for a more aggressive agenda.
Ocasio-Cortez, a prominent progressive, is seen as a potential primary challenger to Schumer in 2028, but she pivoted when asked if she would run, saying Americans are focused on governance, not the next election cycle.
“The last thing that people want to hear from me or any other politician here is about the next election,” she said. “They want to know about the investigations we’re going to be starting, what is the legislation that we’re going to be starting … what we’re going to do with the power that they just gave us.”
Even if she doesn’t challenge Schumer, Ocasio-Cortez is considered a possible presidential contender in 2028. A progressive super PAC, “Ready for AOC,” recently launched to encourage her candidacy, and she has acknowledged she is weighing her options.
“I think that anything is possible at this juncture,” she told ABC News’ “This Week” in August.
Schumer’s leadership vote is expected soon, and while he appears likely to prevail, the lack of support from Ocasio-Cortez underscores the generational and ideological divisions within the Democratic Party as it prepares to take control of the Senate.
