Sen. Ted Cruz is making bold predictions about the Democratic Party, arguing that two of its most prominent progressive figures are poised to reshape its leadership dramatically before the 2028 election.
His comments come as early polling and growing speculation continue fueling discussion about who could emerge as the Democratic Party’s next presidential nominee.
Speaking in a video posted Thursday on X, the Texas Republican predicted that Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez will launch a campaign for president while New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani will eventually replace Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer.
Cruz argued the changes would represent a significant shift for Democrats.
“I think AOC is going to run for president, and I think Zohran Mamdani is going to replace Chuck Schumer in the Senate,” Cruz said.
He also cautioned Republicans against celebrating what he described as increasingly progressive Democratic candidates.
“Some Republicans are cheering because the Democrats are crazy,” Cruz said. “This country needs two parties that actually love America.”
In a separate post on X, Cruz went even further in his assessment of Schumer’s political future.
“Chuck Schumer is finished. He can never again win a Democrat primary in New York. He knows it. Which is why I joke that he will be the inaugural member of the AOC for President Campaign,” Cruz wrote.
Although the 2028 presidential election remains more than two years away, discussion about potential Democratic candidates has intensified as new polling begins testing possible primary matchups.
No major Democratic candidate has formally announced a presidential campaign.
Ocasio-Cortez has repeatedly been asked whether she intends to seek the White House, though she has consistently declined to announce any plans.
After leading one recent poll, she downplayed the results.
“I think there’s two things, one is that, you know, polls are polls, and a horse race is a horse race,” Ocasio-Cortez told The Independent.
“I am, of course, I think, very deeply humbled and grateful to folks who participate and convey that confidence.”
She added that her focus remains on next year’s elections.
“I think my main focus is really genuinely just the midterms right now, and we have to make sure that we win this majority.”
A University of New Hampshire Survey Center poll released Wednesday found Ocasio-Cortez narrowly leading the Democratic field with 22% support among likely Democratic primary voters.
Former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg followed closely at 21%, while Sen. Mark Kelly received 9%, California Gov. Gavin Newsom received 8%, Sen. Bernie Sanders received 6%, and former Vice President Kamala Harris received 5%.
An Emerson College poll released Thursday showed a somewhat different picture.
That survey placed Buttigieg first with 19%, followed by Newsom at 17%, while both Ocasio-Cortez and Sen. Jon Ossoff received 13%.
Former Vice President Harris received 8%, Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear received 7%, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro received 5%, and Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker received 3%.
On the Republican side, polling has also shown a competitive early landscape, with Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio among the names frequently discussed as potential contenders.
Meanwhile, Mamdani has emerged as one of the Democratic Party’s most prominent progressive figures following his rise in New York politics, prompting growing speculation about his long-term political ambitions.
Whether Cruz’s predictions ultimately prove accurate remains to be seen, but his comments reflect the growing attention already being paid to the Democratic Party’s next generation of leadership as both parties begin looking toward the 2028 presidential election.
