NYC-DSA Resolution Urges AOC to Run for President in 2028

Delegates at a New York City chapter convention voted 291 to 123 on Saturday to pass a resolution urging Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez to mount a 2028 presidential bid, Al Jazeera reported.

While the vote does not constitute a formal endorsement from the national Democratic Socialists of America, it binds the 15,000-member New York City branch to encourage a presidential run and lay the groundwork for a campaign.

“If the US can elect Trump, I think we can elect Democratic Socialists,” Gustavo Gordillo, NYC-DSA co-chair, told Al Jazeera, referring to President Donald Trump.

The convention followed a midterm election cycle where a record eight DSA-endorsed candidates won federal office and secured congressional seats that take effect in January. Ocasio-Cortez, a longtime member of the NYC-DSA, has won the chapter’s backing in all five of her congressional general elections since 2018.

“Now that we have put a mayor into City Hall and we’ve elected three socialists in the city, I think regardless of how a politician feels about DSA personally, they’re definitely looking at what we say and how we’re moving,” Grace Mausser, NYC-DSA co-chair, told Al Jazeera. “We are one of the biggest political actors in the city, in the state, and the country, frankly.”

Ocasio-Cortez represents New York’s 14th congressional district and achieved national prominence in 2018 by defeating a 10-term incumbent in a primary. Her platform has centered on universal healthcare, tuition-free public college, and labour protections.

The NYC-DSA has not finalized a national presidential platform yet. Mausser told Al Jazeera that the platform will emerge from local door-to-door voter interactions focusing on housing, healthcare, and childcare as core affordability metrics.

The resolution text indicates the campaign would create space for crafting a platform engaging the working class. It also outlines priorities including public housing, stopping the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency, labour organising, and the anti-war and pro-Palestine movements.

The local chapter vote joins independent grassroots efforts like the “Ready for AOC” campaign urging the lawmaker to enter the 2028 contest. Ocasio-Cortez has previously stated she will determine her political future following the midterm elections, keeping open the possibility of a 2028 presidential bid or a challenge for a US Senate seat.