Scoop: AOC shakes up team ahead of 2028 decision
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) is shaking up her team with several departures and new aides, sources tell Axios. Why it matters: The personnel changes come months before the progressive leader will decide whether to launch a presidential campaign. She's also weighing a run for Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer's seat, which is also up in 2028. Driving the news: Ocasio Cortez's…
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is reshaping her staff ahead of a possible 2028 presidential bid, according to Axios. Notable departures include her longtime campaign manager and senior adviser Oliver Hidalgo-Wohlleben, who is stepping down in September. Fiorella Bini has taken over as interim campaign manager. Aya Saed, Ocasio-Cortez's former legislative director, has returned to her campaign as a deputy chief of staff and adviser.
Tanushri Shankar-Ross, who left the team in 2023, has rejoined as a senior adviser. Creative director Tyler Evans also departed this summer. The changes coincide with the expansion of Chief of Staff Mike Casca's responsibilities, who previously worked on Bernie Sanders' 2020 presidential campaign. Ocasio-Cortez, known for her young and tight-knit team, has a close relationship with Sanders and can potentially leverage his political infrastructure for her campaign.
She has also enlisted the help of Middle Seat, a progressive consulting firm founded by former Sanders officials, and other former Sanders advisers who are working with other potential 2028 presidential candidates.
Written by urgent.news from Axios's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
