AOC ends 3rd quarter with ‘impressive’ $11.8M cash on hand, setting socialist lawmaker up for potential 2028 Senate run

“Squad” Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez hauled in $4.5 million last quarter — her weakest showing this year and less than half of the record-breaking haul she raked in during the first quarter that sparked rumors of a presidential run.

The self-proclaimed “Bronx girl” isn’t hard up for money — she wrapped up the quarter with $11.8 million in cash on hand, new Federal Election Commission filings show. That’s money that could be funneled into a Senate or even White House campaign, as per FEC rules.

The socialist darling was confirmed last month to be weighing both options for 2028, and her die-hard fans are already rolling out “AOC for President 2028” bumper stickers.

Her fundraising for the year totals $21 million.

Even though her war chest is the largest in the House — after a staggering $9.6 million in first quarter filings — the Squad leader still has a long way to go to make a play for Senate, insiders said.

“If you want to run a contested Senate race, it’s $100 million,” said campaign finance expert Brett Kappel of Harmon Curran. “And New York would be more.”

And her choice to focus on small donations will ultimately limit the amount she can fundraise for a higher office, experts noted.

Her main challenger for a Senate run, Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, meanwhile posted his worst fundraising quarter in years — bringing in just $133,460 in the last three months to end with $8.6 million in cash on hand.

“Chuck Schumer should be worried — AOC’s not just coming for him, she’s already building the war chest to do it,” said Kiersten Pels, national press secretary for the Republican National Committee.

The longtime Democratic pol has not yet announced whether he plans to run for reelection, only saying he’s focusing on the midterms.

Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ), who himself raised $2.8 million last quarter, called AOC’s fundraising totals “an impressive number.”

“Twenty one million is a lot of money,” said Steve Caplan, political advertising expert at the University of Southern California. “At the same time, we have $1 million a person dinners, which in one night would eclipse that,” he said referring to a Friday dinner at Mar-a-Lago raising money for the MAGA PAC.

The price tag for a presidential run is estimated to be in the billions.

But Caplan thinks AOC’s fame — and social media prowess — could mean that she doesn’t have to go dollar for dollar against an opponent.

“She just has advantages because of her name recognition that make her formidable even in a campaign where she would be outspent theoretically,” he said.

Ocasio-Cortez has already doled out millions this year on growing her social media presence and obtaining a list of possible donors outside her Queens-Bronx congressional district.

She “spent over $500,000 on fundraising ads last week, making her the highest-spending political advertiser on Facebook & IG nationwide” said Kyle Tharp on X, author of the Chaotic Era newsletter, which closely tracks online political spending.

The Post previously reported that instead of spending big in her own backyard, AOC blew $3.6 million on Facebook and Instagram ads that barely targeted New Yorkers — during a three-month span this year. And a jaw-dropping 72% of donations came from well beyond the Empire State, a Post review of campaign expenditures found.

The lefty lawmaker also held a series of recent town halls in upstate New York, courting potential voters across the state — while her constituents lamented to The Post that they felt neglected.

“We are here because every town, every city, every neighborhood in this state matters,” she told a crowd at a Plattsburg town hall this summer.

Ocasio-Cortez’ campaign did not return The Post’s request for comment.