Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (DN.Y.) appears to be closing the door on a possible Senate bid in 2024, with her spokesperson saying the progressive favorite is “not planning” to launch one. the main challenge to Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (DN .Y.).
“She’s not planning to run for Senate in 2024. She’s not planning to run ahead of Gillibrand,” Ocasio-Cortez’s spokeswoman, Lauren Hitt, told Politico.
Hitt’s comments poured cold water on speculation that Ocasio-Cortez, a darling of the party’s left and a fundraising powerhouse, is Gillibrand’s primary for an upper house seat. After her meteoric rise to stardom, many in the public are wondering what’s next for Ocasio-Cortez.
Ocasio-Cortez’s likely exit could clear the way for Gillibrand, who has been in the Senate since 2009, to cruise to reelection in the state. Gillibrand briefly launched a presidential campaign in 2020.
A challenge to Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (DN.Y.) by Ocasio-Cortez was floated last year, but she also passed on that opportunity. Instead, Schumer led his party to a Senate majority in the 2022 midterm elections.
Other potential progressive challengers to Gillibrand’s seat have also signaled that they have no plans to run for the Senate, including Rep. Jamaal Bowman (DN.Y.) and former Rep. Mondaire Jones (DN.Y.)
A looming threat to Gillibrand could be former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D), who resigned in 2021 amid multiple allegations of sexual misconduct. Cuomo, who has denied all allegations, has not said whether he will run for Senate in 2024.
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