Another Poll Offers Insight on AOC-Schumer Primary

Last month, polling showed some not great news for Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) if he is to run again in 2028, given that he may face a primary challenge from Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY). She's a far-left member of the Squad, but she also does better in a hypothetical primary, and is seen as more popular among New York Democrats. Another poll came out this week, this time from Cygnal, and it too shows bad news for Schumer. 

The latest National Voter Trends (NVT) poll from Cygnal was released on Tuesday, and it turns out that AOC's favorable/unfavorable ratings are looking much better than Schumer's ratings. In addition to looking at ratings for President Donald Trump, to be addressed in another piece, the poll looked at other key figures as well, including the two New York Democrats. 

While AOC is at about even, with a 39.1-40.3 percent favorable/unfavorable rating, the numbers are far worse for Schumer, who is at a 32.6-48.6 percent favorable/unfavorable rating. Although this poll does show Schumer with a majority of his fellow Democrats giving him a favorable rating, it's a small one, at 54 percent. AOC is at a 64 percent favorable rating among fellow Democrats.

New @cygnal national poll dropping—generic ballot, Trump's image, AOC & Schumer, tariffs, immigration, the courts—and one thing is crystal clear: voters trust the GOP more on the key issues and swing voters are squarely focused on inflation+spending, not "threats to democracy."

— John Rogers (@johnrogersal) May 13, 2025

Ttakeaways about AOC vs. Schumer abound. The party is not where it needs to be right now, not merely for the 2026 midterm elections, but also potentially for the 2028 presidential race.

 The AOC-Schumer primary would take place when the latter is up for reelection in 2028, though AOC may run for president that year, and her team has sparked chatter and speculation that she is looking to run for higher office. Among what's causing the chatter is the tour that AOC has been going on with Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT), another far-left member of Congress. Here's what one of the takeaways from pollster John Rogers referenced:

Recommended

The Liberal Media Thought They Got Trump Jr. They Made a Fool of Themselves Instead. Matt Vespa

Advertisement

AOC vs. Schumer: fresh off the “Fighting Oligarchy” tour, AOC’s favorables (39% fav., 40% unfav.) versus that of Senator Chuck Schumer’s (33% fav., 49% unfav.) highlight not just a potential contentious Democratic primary battle... but accentuated ideological battles within the party...

Fellow members of Congress have called on Schumer to step aside and announce he's retiring, especially with Senate Minority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) announcing he was doing so last month rather than run for reelection next year. Schumer still seems delusional about his own ratings, though. ACNN poll showing he has a 17 percent approval rating. Schumer somehow still thinks he may even be majority leader once more in 2027. 

The poll's Insight & Analysis section references Schumer in many ways over many topics [emphasis original]:

• Meanwhile, [AOC's] fellow New Yorker, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer is viewed far less favorablyand is more emblematic of the Democratic Party’s struggles nationally. Near half(49%) of voters’ view Schumer unfavorably, compared to just 33% who have a favorable view of him.
  • Swing voters on the generic congressional ballot are even more sour on Schumer (27%favorable). While Schumer’s not quite yet the lightning rod Nancy Pelosi provided Republicans with for years, his negative standing with the public may still get him some free earned media in GOP ads leading up to the 2026 midterm elections. 
  • As she considers a Democratic primary challenge to Schumer next year, AOC is more popular than Schumer with every major demographic group tested and is viewed much more net favorably than Schumer with Democrats and liberals.

...

• Dem Base (30%) cares most about threats to democracy (43%), inflation (21%), and Social Security and Medicare (14%). They are +71 favorable of AOC but only +26 favorable of Chuck Schumer...
• Lean Dem (21%) voters opt for the Democratic candidate on the generic ballot, 68% -13%... They are split (net even) on Schumer’s image and +4 net favorable of AOC... 

This latest NVT survey was conducted May 6-8 with 1,500 likely general election voters and a margin of error of plus or minus 2.51 percentage points.

Editor's Note: Every single day, here at Townhall, we will stand up and FIGHT, FIGHT, FIGHT against the radical left and deliver the conservative reporting our readers deserve.

Help us continue to tell the truth about the Trump administration and its major wins. Join Townhall VIP and use promo code FIGHT to get 60% off your membership.