Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) said she is not closing the door on endorsing challengers to her House Democratic colleagues if "someone crosses some huge line," according to a new report.
In an interview with Axios, the lawmaker was asked whether she has considered endorsing against incumbents up for reelection this year. She said she hasn't "waded into that territory" yet, but it's not out of the question.
"Obviously, if someone crosses some huge line, it's never something that I rule out," the New York Democrat said, adding that "it would have to be kind of an egregious thing."
Ocasio-Cortez hasn't endorsed a primary challenge to a sitting House member in years and even suggested during her 2024 run for House Oversight Committee ranking member that she was considering abandoning the practice altogether.
"I've said this both to my colleagues here and across the board, you're never going to see me tell someone that they should never run," Ocasio-Cortez said.
Axios noted that her comments come as 30 House Democratic incumbents face at least one primary challenger who had raised $100,000 or more as of the end of 2025.
Despite the high number of incumbents facing challenges ahead of the primaries, Ocasio-Cortez has endorsed only one candidate in the four open House primaries held in Illinois this month.
"This is a hard job and the pressures are high," Ocasio-Cortez added. "If you don't have that rooting, you can get blown around, even if you have the best intentions in the world."
In the interview, Ocasio-Cortez, 36, emphasized she is not handing out endorsements freely, saying candidates must demonstrate strong intentions and a track record that supports them.
"Anybody can put up a website and list policy commitments. We have to see: Is there a record on those commitments? What is the relationship to an on-the-ground field force like? How material is the support?" she said.
Since being elected to Congress in 2018, Ocasio-Cortez has become a prominent voice in the House, and her rise within the Democratic Party has fueled speculation that she could run for the U.S. Senate or president in 2028.
According to an Axios report from last year, Ocasio-Cortez and her team have discussed the possibility of a run for president or the U.S. Senate in 2028, though she has not formally announced any plans.
Some close allies believe that even if she doubts her chances of winning, she could run for the White House to ensure the Democratic Party's progressive wing is represented in the primary, similar to Bernie Sanders' 2016 challenge to Hillary Clinton.
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