Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, the 36-year-old U.S. Representative from New York, has rejoined the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) after a seven-year lapse in membership, amid speculation that she might run for president in 2028, reports infohub.kz.
Ocasio-Cortez initially joined the DSA in 2018. However, after reports emerged earlier this month that her membership had lapsed, she renewed it with the organization's national body. In a statement on Tuesday night, the DSA said: "Democratic Socialists of America confirms Rep Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is a member in good standing of our organization, having recently rejoined in August 2026."
The organization added that Ocasio-Cortez had joined in 2018 with a one-year membership, which lapsed in 2019. The DSA's national leadership recently noticed this and she renewed her membership as of this month. The DSA said it decided to disclose her membership status due to ongoing discussions about the 2028 presidential campaign.
"While it is atypical for DSA to address the membership status of individuals, ongoing discussions about the 2028 presidential campaign have prompted this release... With chapters and members campaigning to draft Rep Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez as a potential Presidential Primary candidate, we believe that the status of her membership is essential information for members to have in their deliberations and discussions," the statement said.
Ocasio-Cortez's membership status came under scrutiny after an interview on ABC, where host Jonathan Karl asked if she was still a DSA member. She replied that she was a member of the New York City chapter, but not the national chapter. This sparked rumors that she had left the organization.
Despite the lapse, the DSA had previously supported her: in November 2020, it congratulated "DSA member AOC on officially being re-elected to Congress," and in March 2024, it commended her and Rep. Cori Bush for voting against a TikTok ban. However, in July 2024, the DSA withdrew its endorsement of Ocasio-Cortez at the request of NYC-DSA, citing her vote for a House resolution that described denial of Israel's right to exist as antisemitism, and her participation in a panel on antisemitism.
Annual DSA membership cost $60 when Ocasio-Cortez joined in 2018, with members required to manually renew each year. The organization has since moved to automatic renewals and introduced monthly dues ranging from $5 to $50. Neither Ocasio-Cortez's office nor DSA officials provided additional comment.