AOC taps power player who helped Bernie Sanders defy the odds as major 2028 decision looms

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., is tapping a key player behind Bernie Sanders' presidential fundraising operation as speculation swirls over whether the left-wing Democrat could launch her own White House bid in 2028.

Ocasio-Cortez split with her longtime digital fundraising firm, Middle Seat, Axios reported Thursday, citing three sources familiar with the matter. She has now tapped Aisle 518 Strategies, the firm led by Democratic strategist Tim Tagaris, who helped drive Sanders' record-breaking online fundraising operations during his 2016 and 2020 presidential campaigns, according to Axios.

The move comes as some progressive groups are calling for Ocasio-Cortez to jump into the White House race in 2028. There has also been mounting speculation that she could seek the Senate seat held by Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., in 2028, potentially setting up a Democratic primary showdown if Schumer seeks re-election.

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Ocasio-Cortez's office declined to comment to Fox News Digital on Thursday.

Middle Seat and Aisle 518 Strategies each did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's requests seeking comment.

Sanders' 2016 fundraising operation capitalized on major campaign moments and attacks from establishment Democrats to generate surges in small-dollar donations, helping propel the relatively obscure Vermont senator into an unexpectedly competitive primary battle against Hillary Clinton, Politico reported at the time.

"Internet fundraising is about taking potential energy and converting it into kinetic energy, and nobody has done that better than Bernie Sanders," veteran Democratic operative Ari Rabin-Havt told Politico back in 2016. "Tim [Tagaris] and his team are maximizing that. Their emails are superior."

Sanders' office did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment.

Sanders' campaign raised $34.5 million in the final three months of 2019, according to the AP. He went on to briefly emerge as the Democratic front-runner in early 2020 before Joe Biden consolidated support and secured the nomination.

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Ocasio-Cortez previously parted ways with her longtime campaign manager and creative director earlier in 2026, and also recruited a few former aides, according to Axios.

"I know there is a lot of speculation about what I will decide to do in 2028," Ocasio-Cortez said in a recent fundraising email. "I get asked about it nearly every interview and event."

Still, Ocasio-Cortez told The Washington Sun in an interview published Wednesday that she plans to deliberate privately about her political future.

"I probably will not be sharing anything publicly for a little while," she told The Sun.