Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, recognized by many as the most prominent figure in the Democrats’ socialist movement, has renewed her Democratic Socialists of America affiliation after it ran out seven years ago.
As a first-time congressional candidate, the New Yorker applied for an annual membership to join DSA in 2018, but it expired the next year.
“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 announced in a statement to DSA members on Tuesday, as reported by City & State. “Previously, the representative joined DSA in 2018 with a one-year membership, which DSA’s national leadership recently noticed had lapsed, in 2019. She has since renewed her membership as of this month.”
DSA reportedly began investigating Ms. Ocasio-Cortez’s membership after she told ABC she was in the New York City chapter.
To be a member of NYC-DSA requires paying dues to the national party and residing in the city.
Amid speculation that Ms. Ocasio-Cortez may be prepping for a presidential run, DSA said in the statement to members, “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.”
In AOC’s seven-year membership hiatus, the socialist party repeatedly referred to her affiliation, describing her as a “DSA member” as recently as 2024.
Her membership speculation comes as the democratic socialist movement engulfs the Democrats’ hard-left base with big victories.
Zohran Mamdani, a DSA member, won the 2025 New York City mayoral election.
Several 2026 DSA-backed congressional candidates — including Melat Kiros in Colorado and Claire Valdez and Darializa Avila Chevalier, both of New York — celebrated Democratic primary triumphs.
