NEW YORK (The Thursday Times) — The New York City chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America (NYC-DSA) has voted to urge Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez to run for president in 2028, in a resolution passed at its convention on Saturday.
The resolution passed 291 to 123. It is not a formal endorsement by the DSA, but it commits the chapter, which has about 15,000 members, to encouraging a presidential bid and laying the groundwork for a possible campaign.
Gustavo Gordillo, the chapter’s co-chair, told a news conference after the convention that the group would work to strengthen the democratic socialist movement and create the conditions for a campaign built around working-class issues. “If the US can elect Trump, I think we can elect Democratic Socialists,” he said.
What the resolution says
The text describes a presidential campaign as a chance for “continued crafting of a platform that engages the working class”. It names public housing, stopping the US immigration enforcement agency ICE, labour organising, and the anti-war and pro-Palestine movements as priorities.
The chapter has not yet settled a national platform. Grace Mausser, another co-chair, said it would be built around the issues members hear at voters’ doors: housing, healthcare, and childcare.
Not everyone in the hall agreed. Some members objected that Ocasio-Cortez had moved away from the group’s core principles, and others warned that encouraging a bid now could create confusion ahead of a separate formal endorsement process.
No word from Ocasio-Cortez
A spokesperson for Ocasio-Cortez did not respond to a request for comment. She has said she will decide on her political future after the midterm elections, leaving open both a 2028 White House bid and a challenge for a US Senate seat.
She renewed her DSA membership in August after letting it lapse. In 2024 the national organisation withdrew its endorsement of her, citing her positions on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
The New York chapter endorsed Mayor Zohran Mamdani last year and has backed Ocasio-Cortez in all five of her congressional general elections since 2018. Saturday’s convention followed a strong showing by DSA-endorsed candidates in the November midterms. Chapters in Atlanta, Colorado, Los Angeles, and Ithaca, New York, have passed similar resolutions, and an independent campaign called “Ready for AOC” is also urging her to run.
