Democrat Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (NY-14), newly re-enrolled member of the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA), still won’t say whether she wants to run for president or challenge Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) for his Senate seat in 2028. What she is doing is quietly building the infrastructure to do either, as Axios reports her political staff is being reorganized ahead of that decision.
Ocasio-Cortez is losing some longtime staffers and bringing others back. Chief of staff Mike Casca, who worked on Bernie Sanders’ 2020 presidential campaign, is also taking on a larger role, according to Axios.
Her longtime campaign manager and senior adviser, Oliver Hidalgo-Wohlleben, will leave in September after working with Ocasio-Cortez since the 2020 primary cycle. Fiorella Bini, another longtime aide, took over as interim campaign manager this month.
Aya Saed, Ocasio-Cortez’s former legislative director, returned this spring as a deputy chief of staff in her House office and an adviser to the campaign. Tanushri Shankar-Ross, who left the team in 2023, is also back as a senior adviser. Creative director Tyler Evans left this summer.
The 2028 speculation has gotten loud enough that it’s hard to read any of these staff moves as routine housekeeping.
Hidalgo-Wohlleben said he needed a break after six years of campaigning.
“I never believed I would get to do a job like this let alone walk away from one,” he told Axios. “But after running nonstop since the 2020 primaries, I also know it’s the right time for me to take a break.”
The more interesting name may be Mike Casca.
Casca, Ocasio-Cortez’s chief of staff, has been given an expanded portfolio as the other changes take place. He was a senior communications adviser on Sanders’ 2020 presidential campaign and later served as Sanders’ deputy chief of staff in the Senate.
Ocasio-Cortez’s campaign also uses Middle Seat, a consulting firm founded by former Sanders officials. She recently appeared in content produced by More Perfect Union, run by Faiz Shakir, former presidential campaign manager for Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT). Axios reported that Sanders’ political network could give her an existing base of staff and infrastructure for a 2028 campaign. In other words, the most organized socialist political machine in modern Democrat Party history would be ready to go on day one.
Ocasio-Cortez herself poured gasoline on the 2028 talk earlier this month.
ABC’s Jonathan Karl recently asked her whether she would run for president, citing a New Hampshire poll showing her leading a prospective Democratic field.
“I’m focused on winning the midterms. I’m running for Congress right now,” Ocasio-Cortez said. “I haven’t ruled out the possibility, and I’m very humbled to the tremendous amount of support out there.”
Karl also asked whether she could challenge Schumer. Ocasio-Cortez replied that “anything is possible at this juncture.” Schumer’s seat is up in 2028.
Translation: she ruled out nothing, committed to nothing, and left every door open while collecting the goodwill that comes with being coy about a presidential run.
Ocasio-Cortez rejoined the DSA this month after her membership had lapsed. The DSA said she renewed in August and is a member in good standing. The DSA is not your grandfather’s labor union. It is an explicitly socialist organization whose local chapters have endorsed positions ranging from abolishing the police to opposing U.S. military aid to Ukraine. Other progressive candidates this cycle quietly let their memberships lapse to avoid the political baggage. Ocasio-Cortez went the other direction.
She says the midterms are her focus right now. Fine.
But she’s also rejoined the socialists, reshuffled her staff, and gotten cozy with the Sanders machine. For someone who’s just trying to win a House race, that’s a lot of groundwork to be laying. Make of that what you will.
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