AOC won't back Democratic Socialists' plan to abolish the Senate but says it was founded on 'Jim Crow'

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is distancing herself from a newly adopted Democratic Socialists of America platform that calls for abolishing the US Senate, saying such a proposal would require a constitutional amendment and would be difficult to achieve. The congresswoman made the statement while also apparently admitting that she believes that the Senate or, at the very least, the filibuster was "founded on Jim Crow."

Speaking with reporters on Capitol Hill Thursday, the New York Democrat stopped short of endorsing the proposal while making clear she has longstanding objections to the Senate's current structure.

“That is, of course, a constitutional question,” Ms. Ocasio-Cortez told reporters when asked about the DSA's plan to overhaul the federal government.

The Democratic Socialists of America's new platform calls for eliminating the Senate, replacing the presidency with a prime minister-style executive, and creating a judiciary selected by—and subordinate to—Congress. It also calls for ending US economic and military assistance to Israel and seeking to "prosecute US and Israeli leaders responsible for the genocide in Gaza."

While Ocasio-Cortez did not endorse abolishing the Senate, she said there are aspects of the chamber she opposes. “We’ve all got our complaints,” she said. “I don’t support the filibuster. I don’t support elements of this institution that we know were founded on Jim Crow.”

Changing the Senate's existence would require amending the Constitution, which requires approval by two-thirds of both houses of Congress or a constitutional convention called by two-thirds of state legislatures, followed by ratification from three-quarters of the states. A constitutional convention has never been held under that provision.

The DSA has expanded its political influence in recent election cycles, with DSA-backed candidates winning Democratic primaries in deep-blue districts in New York City and Denver. Those victories have increased the organization's presence within the Democratic Party.

Ocasio-Cortez has been mentioned as a possible candidate for a DSA endorsement if she seeks the presidency in 2028, though the organization has not decided whether it will endorse a candidate in that race. She said Thursday that she is not running for another office.

“I could run for dog catcher,” she said with a chuckle. “So I think any situation is hypothetical.”

Ocasio-Cortez also noted that the national DSA withdrew its endorsement of her in 2024 after disagreements over Israel, though she said she continues to value her relationship with the organization's New York City chapter.

“That organization unendorsed me some time ago,” Ms. Ocasio-Cortez said. “The city chapter is important to me and remains important to me as a sitting Congresswoman, but it’s the people who stick with you [who] are the ones that are there.”