US representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is leading Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer by 19 points in a potential 2028 New York Democratic Senate primary, a new poll has shown.
The survey by prestigious think tank Data for Progress found 55% of Democratic likely voters favoured or leaned toward Ocasio-Cortez, compared to 36% for Schumer. Nine percent are undecided.
The latest poll follows Schumer's vote last month to advance a Republican-backed funding bill that averted a government shutdown, a move that drew criticism from many Democrats.
"This poll really does show that Democrats are united in just wanting to stand up," Data for Progress Executive Director Danielle Deiseroth said on Friday.
Ocasio-Cortez, who represents New York's 14th congressional district in the US House of Representatives, has not announced a Senate run, but the poll comes amid growing efforts to elevate her profile as a potential future leader of the Democratic Party.
The poll, which surveyed 767 likely Democratic voters in New York from March 26 to 31, shows Ocasio-Cortez leading Chuck Schumer by nearly 20 points in a hypothetical 2028 primary. The poll has a margin of error of plus or minus 4 percentage points.
A clear majority of those surveyed said they'd vote for Ocasio-Cortez over Schumer.
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez was born in the Bronx and witnessed firsthand the challenges facing working-class families and immigrant communities.
After studying economics in college, she worked as a community organiser and educator before unseating a long-serving incumbent in one of the biggest upsets of the 2018 election.
In Congress, Ocasio-Cortez has been a leading progressive voice and is seen as a rare member of Congress willing to rock the boat and speak truth to power.
Schumer, on the other hand, is seen as a career politician who has spent decades in Washington, often prioritizing political calculations over the needs of New Yorkers.
Just weeks ago, he joined Trump and MAGA leaders in Congress to vote for their spending bill, earning backlash. Schumer has also been criticised for cozying up to big corporations and failing to deliver tangible results for working families across the state.
In the last few weeks, AOC and Senator Bernie Sanders have been drawing massive crowds to their "Fighting Oligarchy" tour, packing venues across the country with thousands of enthusiastic supporters.
From Denver’s Civic Center Park, where over 34,000 people gathered, to Tucson’s Catalina High School with 20,000 attendees, their rallies have filled stadiums and overflowed into surrounding areas.
While it's still a few years until the election and no other polls have been conducted, the results suggest Schumer may be vulnerable to a primary challenge.
The poll hints that Ocasio-Cortez could be a strong contender to take on the incumbent senator.
It also reflects a broader desire among Democrats — and many across the country — for a leadership that's more aggressive in fighting Trump and the MAGA agenda.
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