The Democratic Socialists of America’s New York City chapter officially urged Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on Saturday to launch a presidential run in 2028.
The resolution passed by the New York City DSA is not an official endorsement. But it is the latest effort by democratic socialists to urge Ocasio-Cortez, one of the most prominent members of their movement, to run for the White House. Gustavo Gordillo, co-chair of the local DSA chapter, described the resolution as “a commitment to encouraging and building the foundation for a presidential campaign.”
“AOC and New York City DSA are committed to building a stronger democratic socialist movement and DSA will create the conditions for a presidential campaign capable of advancing a working-class political agenda,” Gordillo said during a press conference after the convention.
DSA chapters in Atlanta, Colorado, Los Angeles and Ithaca, New York, have already approved resolutions encouraging her to run. The resolutions also offer a glimpse of the priorities the chapters want Ocasio-Cortez to champion, including imposing an arms embargo on Israel, abolishing US Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and enacting Medicare for All and the Green New Deal.
A spokesperson for Ocasio-Cortez, who rejoined the DSA in August after letting her membership lapse, did not return a request for comment.
The AOC resolution frames her potential presidential bid as a chance to champion working-class voters and expand DSA’s national influence.
The resolution passed 291-123. During debate prior to the vote, some members expressed opposition to the resolution over their belief that Ocasio-Cortez has strayed from DSA’s core identity and its priorities. They also expressed concern a resolution encouraging a run would confuse an endorsement process expected to follow.
DSA members have had previous disagreements about Ocasio-Cortez and her policies. In 2024, the national DSA withdrew its endorsement of her, saying she had failed to meet the group’s required criteria regarding the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Gordillo downplayed any dissent, saying the organization rarely reaches unanimous votes on its resolutions. He warned that dissent is not correlated with grassroots organizing, and that organization members would be ready to become foot soldiers for a democratic socialist presidential campaign.
“When we allow dissent, when we allow people to pose constructive critiques of our elected officials, it makes them buy into the movement, Gordillo said. “We actually have a strong history of doing just that with the congresswoman, where we have not always been aligned on some of her positions on Palestine, and we’ve been able to work together and strengthen both DSA and her own platform. I think that’s what we’re committing to doing here.”
Ocasio-Cortez has said she would decide her next political move after the midterms. She is openly considering a White House or US Senate run and as she considers both options, she has said she is weighing her ethnicity, her personal life, her age and which path is more likely to deliver a win.
