She's the Left's golden girl tipped to crush Trump's heir... so why is AOC secretly losing her nerve?

By PHILLIP NIETO, US POLITICAL REPORTER Published: 21:44, 25 May 2026 | Updated: 21:52, 25 May 2026 Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is secretly getting cold feet about a 2028 White House bid, even as fellow Democrats clamor for her to seize the reins of the party. A source close to the socialist firebrand says Ocasio-Cortez is genuinely undecided about whether to run in the upcoming Democratic primary, according to Axios. Even as polls have shown the 36-year-old among the leading contenders among Democratic voters, she has expressed skepticism about their legitimacy.  A survey conducted in May by Atlas Intel placed AOC as the favorite to lead the party in 2028 with 26% support, followed by Pete Buttigieg, Gavin Newsom, and Kamala Harris.  'The way she will evaluate the decision is really around where she believes she can make the most change,' the source told the outlet.  Ocasio-Cortez is also weighing a direct challenge to the Democratic establishment by launching a Senate bid instead of running for president, according to the same source.  An April poll shows AOC crushing Democratic Senate leader Chuck Schumer by 19-points in a hypothetical matchup, according to Data For Progress. The murmurs about her presidential anxieties come as she has crisscrossed the country, speaking on national issues popular with the Democratic base that reach well beyond her New York City district. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is secretly getting cold feet about a 2028 White House bid, even as fellow Democrats clamor for her to seize the reins of the party Ocasio-Cortez is also weighing a direct challenge to the Democratic establishment by launching a Senate bid instead of running for president In less than a month, AOC has headlined rallies in Philadelphia for Democratic congressional candidates, spoken in Alabama about voting rights, and delivered an energetic speech on racial justice at Ebenezer Baptist Church.  She has also handed out endorsements to progressive Democrats running for office across the country. 'I'm here today, brothers and sisters, with a simple message: We stand together and we are not going back,'  She told a packed crowd Ebenezer Church in Atlanta, Georgia.  'What happens in Georgia happens to New York, what happens to Tennessee happens to California, what happens to Louisiana happens to all of us, Ebenezer, because this is America,' she continued.  'We are not divided by state, we are united by our humanity and common citizenship.' She continued her appeal to the deep-blue Democratic base in Philadelphia by declaring that 'MAGA is the last dying breath of the Confederacy.' Despite reports that AOC is skeptical of a presidential run, potential candidates have a long history of denying their White House ambitions only to change their minds a year or two later. Barack Obama in January 2006 said he would not run for president in 2008, only to reverse course ten months later.  In 1990, Bill Clinton told reporters he was committed to serving out his four-year term as Arkansas governor, only to change his mind a year later. No comments have so far been submitted. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. You can choose on each post whether you would like it to be posted to Facebook. Your details from Facebook will be used to provide you with tailored content, marketing and ads in line with our Privacy Policy.