NEW YORK — Mayor Zohran Mamdani said Friday that Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez would be a “viable” candidate for higher office, coming as the lefty congressmember considers a run for president in 2028.
“I think that the congresswoman would be viable no matter what decision that she makes, and I think that she would make a good whatever it is that she wants to pursue,” Mamdani said at an afternoon press conference at the Brooklyn Museum.
Mamdani’s comments come after Politico reported Mamdani had previously signed onto a DSA petition that called Ocasio-Cortez “the most viable left contender for president in 2028.” The NYC-Democratic Socialists of America petition, which was also obtained by the Daily News, was mainly in support of AOC’s re-election bid for Congress but included a commitment to “deepening our partnership” with the Bronx and Queens rep.
She has left the door open to a run at the presidency, saying last month she hasn’t “ruled out the possibility” and that her focus is on the midterms. Early handicapping show her as a prominent contender for the Democratic nomination as the field begins to take shape amid a sharply divided midterm season across the nation.
AOC was a strong supporter of Mamdani’s run for mayor in both the primary and general election campaigns, and she boosted his profile alongside hers at rallies and parades throughout the year.
As the congressmember has cemented herself as a national political heavyweight, what she’ll do next has been the subject of much speculation.
While being considered for a presidential run, she’s also been floated as a possible challenger to Sen. Chuck Schumer, who will be up for re-election in 2028.
“I think that anything is possible at this juncture,” she told NBC last month.
In a July interview with the New York Times, Mamdani declined to endorse AOC but praised her, calling her an “inspiration.”
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