Progressive Democrat and “Squad” member Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez would overwhelmingly beat Sen. Chuck Schumer in a Democratic primary, according to a striking new poll, as the longtime senator appears to be losing favor with both his party’s base and Jewish voters.
The survey, conducted by Honan Strategy Group for the Jewish Voters Action Network, reveals that Ocasio-Cortez holds a 54% to 33% advantage over the five-term incumbent among likely Democratic voters in New York City.
Ocasio-Cortez, 35, currently serving in the U.S. House of Representatives, also has a 45% to 33% edge over Schumer among Jewish Democrats, with 17% still undecided.
“This should be a huge alarm bell for Schumer,” said Maury Litwack, co-founder of the Jewish Voters Action Network. “He’s losing significant backing not just among Democrats broadly but also within the Jewish community.”
These findings present a major challenge for Schumer, a Jewish lawmaker who has depended heavily on support from Jewish constituents over his five-decade political career. The 74-year-old Senate minority leader isn’t up for reelection until 2028.
Litwack pointed out that the results likely signal frustration with Schumer rather than strong enthusiasm for Ocasio-Cortez, who is a member of the Democratic Socialists of America — a political group that backs the divisive Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement against Israel.
Ocasio-Cortez has referred to Israel’s military response in Gaza as “genocide” following the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas terror attack on Israel.
Litwack added that Schumer’s handling of events following those attacks, along with the wave of antisemitic demonstrations across the U.S., was lacking in urgency.
“The country’s top Jewish elected official failed to rise to the occasion amid a spike in antisemitism — and this poll is a reflection of that failure,” he said.
He criticized Schumer for not advancing the Antisemitism Awareness Act while Democrats had control of the Senate and White House and he was majority leader. That bill would have allowed the Education Department to apply the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s (IHRA) definition of antisemitism when enforcing civil rights laws.
Litwack also cited reports accusing Schumer of advising Columbia University administrators to downplay claims of antisemitism — allegations included in a recent House investigation into campus unrest. Schumer has firmly denied these accusations.
Earlier this year, Schumer delivered a scathing critique of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu from the Senate floor, urging new elections during the ongoing conflict in Gaza.
Though he authored a book on antisemitism, Litwack argued Schumer’s actions haven’t lived up to his rhetoric.
Additionally, Schumer has drawn backlash from progressive Democrats — particularly after Donald Trump’s reelection — for voting in favor of a six-month federal spending bill in March. Critics argued he should have taken a more combative stance against the former president and called for a new Senate Democratic leader.
Schumer defended the decision, warning that a partial government shutdown would have caused “unprecedented devastation.”
The poll, conducted via text messages between May 15 and 18 with responses from 1,136 Democrats, has a margin of error of ±2.89 percentage points.
