Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D., N.Y.) is leading Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer by nearly 20 percentage points in a potential 2028 New York primary showdown, according to a new poll.
A majority of likely Democratic voters, 55 percent, said they supported or leaned toward backing Ocasio-Cortez, while only 36 percent favored Schumer, Politico reported based on the poll by left-wing think tank Data for Progress.
The poll marks another setback for Schumer, who has struggled to quell intraparty backlash over his vote to advance a Republican-led funding bill to avert a government shutdown. At least two House Democrats have openly called for his ouster, arguing that he is not doing enough to counter the Trump administration. A third Democrat said that other members of the caucus want Schumer out but “just haven’t been asked directly or avoided the question.”
“This poll really does show that Democrats are united in just wanting to stand up, wanting to fight, wanting to see someone taking a stand for them,” Data for Progress executive director Danielle Deiseroth told Politico.
Several House Democrats have privately urged Ocasio-Cortez to launch a primary challenge against Schumer. Even some centrist Democrats are “so mad” at Schumer’s vote that they are “ready to write checks” to fund her campaign, CNN reported.
Ocasio-Cortez has yet to signal whether she will enter the race, while Schumer has already filed for reelection, according to Politico.
Schumer, first elected to the Senate in 1998, has seen his support erode in recent years. After securing a fourth term in 2016 by a comfortable 43-point margin, Schumer won reelection in 2022 by only around 13 points.
