In a twist nobody saw coming, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, the firebrand Democrat from New York’s 14th District, is picking up unlikely admirers among the state’s Republicans. The congresswoman, known for her unapologetic progressive platform, has seen her favorability among GOP voters climb, a shift that’s raising eyebrows in Albany and beyond.
A survey conducted between April 14 and 16 by the Siena College Research Institute polled 802 New York voters and found 21 percent of Republicans now view Ocasio-Cortez favorably. That’s a sharp jump from March 2019, when just 6 percent of the state’s GOP gave her a thumbs-up. Back then, 51 percent of Republicans saw her unfavorably; now, that number’s down to 60 percent, with 19 percent unsure or sitting on the fence. The numbers don’t lie: AOC, once a lightning rod for conservative ire, is gaining ground where it counts least expected.
Her appeal isn’t just a fluke. Ocasio-Cortez has been hitting the road with Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders on their “Fighting Oligarchy” tour, drawing massive crowds in places that lean red. Over 30,000 showed up in a Trump-won California district, and 12,000 packed an event in Idaho. In New York, her home turf, she’s outshining heavyweights like Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, whose favorability lags at 39 percent against AOC’s 47 percent statewide. Even Governor Kathy Hochul and other local big names can’t match her 33 percent unfavorable rating, the lowest among polled officials.
What’s driving this? Since her 2018 upset over 10-term incumbent Joe Crowley, Ocasio-Cortez has leaned hard into her brand: grassroots, no corporate cash, and a megaphone for working-class issues. Her Green New Deal resolution, introduced in 2019, still shapes debates, even if it tanked in a Senate vote. She’s pushed bills like the 10 Percent Credit Card Interest Rate Cap Act, filed on March 6, and led 70 lawmakers in 2021 to urge a higher refugee cap. Her work after New York’s 2021 floods, securing $165 million for 25,000 families via a swift FEMA declaration, cemented her as a doer, not just a talker.
Republicans, though, aren’t rushing to embrace her policies. Her calls for Medicare for All, free college, and abolishing ICE still spark plenty of pushback—60 percent of GOP voters in the Siena poll gave her a hard pass. Yet her knack for connecting, whether at a rally or on camera, seems to chip away at the wall. At a Los Angeles event on April 14, she took a jab at a Trump banner flown overhead, quipping, “It sure don’t look like Trump country today.” The crowd roared, and the clip went viral.
Since taking office at 29, the youngest woman ever elected to Congress, Ocasio-Cortez has walked a tightrope. She’s stayed true to her democratic-socialist roots while navigating D.C.’s insider game. Her 2024 reelection, fending off Republican Tina Forte and Conservative Desi Cuellar, was a cakewalk in her deep-blue district. But the GOP’s warming to her suggests something broader: a hunger for authenticity, even if the policies don’t align.
The Siena survey pegs her as New York’s most-liked elected official, topping Schumer, Hochul, and even Trump himself. Her unfavorable rating among all voters is 33 percent, compared to Schumer’s 49 percent. Among Democrats, she’s a rock star, with 61 percent ready to reelect her in 2026, per a 2019 district poll. Republicans, though, are still split—78 percent in her district wanted someone else back then. The new numbers show that gap narrowing, fast.
Ocasio-Cortez’s rise hasn’t been smooth. The Democratic Socialists of America yanked their endorsement in July 2024 over her stances on Palestine and Israel, citing a panel with Jewish leaders and her vote for Israel’s Iron Dome. She’s also faced heat for opposing Amazon’s Queens headquarters in 2019, a move 57 percent of her district called bad for New York. Still, she’s doubled down, rejecting corporate influence and rallying for affordable housing, like her push on April 15 for more units in NYC.
Her story started in the Bronx, born to a Puerto Rican mother and a Bronxite father. She hustled through Boston University, graduating with honors in economics and international relations, then returned home to bartend and organize. Her 2018 campaign, fueled by volunteers and small donors, shocked the establishment. Now in her fourth term, she’s no longer the underdog—just a politician who’s figured out how to make noise and make it count.
The facts are clear: 21 percent of New York Republicans view Ocasio-Cortez favorably as of April 16. Her statewide favorability is 47 percent, with 33 percent unfavorable. She’s introduced 23 bills in her first term, missed 1.6 percent of votes since 2019, and represents a district that’s D+29. Her next election is set for 2026. Whether the GOP’s newfound warmth holds is anyone’s guess, but for now, AOC’s star is burning brighter than ever.