Fresh off a midterm election that energized the left, a network of progressive activists is shifting their attention a new objective: urging Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez to run for president in 2028.
A political organization called Ready for AOC announced Monday that it was launching a push, powered by volunteers, to encourage the progressive New York congresswoman to run for president, and to show her that she has a legion of supporters ready to mobilize if she does.
Ready for AOC, which has been quietly organizing this fall, said it aimed to enlist 10,000 community leaders around the country who would gather at least a million signatures from people pledging to support a presidential run by Ms. Ocasio-Cortez. The group said it already has more than 500 local political and union leaders in 35 states.
“The goal is to build the infrastructure of a grass-roots movement in the case that she decides to run, but also to demonstrate to her that, ‘Look, there is a movement behind you ready to power you to victory should you choose to run for president,’” said Ravi Sahai, a spokesman for the group who has worked for New York City progressives such as Representative-elect Claire Valdez and Mayor Zohran Mamdani.
The effort, which comes amid other endeavors to draft Ms. Ocasio-Cortez into the race, is part of an early scramble by potential candidates and their allies in what is shaping up as a wide open Democratic primary. One of the biggest questions headed into 2028 race is whether Ms. Ocasio-Cortez, one of the party’s best-known figures, will run for president, or make a Senate bid. A democratic socialist, Ms. Ocasio-Cortez has built a large following on the left and has been a frequent target of Republican criticism.
She surged to national prominence in 2018 after ousting a longtime congressman in a stunning upset and helping found a group of left-wing congresswomen of color known as the Squad. In recent years, she has made some inroads with establishment Democrats, even as she has hewed to some staunchly progressive views. Still, some centrists have urged the party not to embrace her left-wing views, and warned that democratic socialism hurts efforts to appeal to moderate voters.
As an heir to the movement built during Senator Bernie Sanders’s two presidential runs, she could enter the primary with a built-in following and deep base of small-dollar donors. But she also has not ruled out challenging Senator Chuck Schumer of New York, a prospect that would excite Democrats who are unhappy with leadership on Capitol Hill.
Ms. Ocasio-Cortez has said she would consider whether to run for president after the midterm elections.
“Life doesn’t wait for you to be ready for things,” she told The New York Times in September. “Sometimes life just makes things ready for you.”
Last week, in a memo to supporters detailing her midterm activities, endorsements and fund-raising, her campaign suggested a response to questions about Ms. Ocasio-Cortez’s political future.
“You may be asked whether you support her running for president or for Senate in New York or staying in the House of Representatives,” the memo read. “We’d recommend you rely on the details of this memo and answer that Rep. Ocasio-Cortez will continue to do what she’s always done: look for ways to do the most good for the most people.”
The Democratic presidential primary is likely to be crowded. Already, allies of Representative Ro Khanna of California, another progressive, have launched an organization pushing him to run that is similar to Ready for AOC.
Mr. Sahai said the Ready for AOC effort was inspired by an organizing model employed by Barack Obama’s campaign in 2008 and Mr. Mamdani’s in 2025. The group is building membership through house meetings, in which volunteers host groups of 10 to 20 friends, share the strategy of the effort to back Ocasio-Cortez, and ask attendees about their values and goals to build connections and get them invested in the campaign, he said.
Cat Leatherwood, a progressive political organizer in Atlanta, said she hosted one such house party in early October, and that participants left energized about Ms. Ocasio-Cortez and democratic socialism.
An Ocasio-Cortez presidency, Ms. Leatherwood said, would set “a new standard,” and “a new tone. It shows us we can dare to dream a little bit.”
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