Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) declined Monday to endorse Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer's bid to remain the top Democrat in the Senate when the party takes control of the chamber in January, adding to questions about his leadership following the midterm elections.

Asked by reporters outside the Capitol whether she supported Schumer amid growing calls for a change in leadership, Ocasio-Cortez said the decision was up to Senate Democrats. "I think that this is a sentiment that is seen in a lot of places. So how the Senate navigates that, that's up to their decision," she said.

Schumer, who turns 76 later this month, is facing resistance from several incoming Democratic senators despite his party's gains in the midterm elections. Sens.-elect Adam Hamilton of Kansas, Annie Andrews of South Carolina, Abdul El-Sayed of Michigan and Troy Jackson of Maine have all said they will not support him for the leadership position.

Schumer has maintained that he has enough support to retain the post, which requires a majority vote within the Democratic caucus. The party is expected to hold its leadership election in December. Maryland Sen. Chris Van Hollen is considering challenging Schumer, while El-Sayed has indicated he would support Van Hollen. Schumer also retains backing from New York Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand and Ohio Sen.-elect Sherrod Brown.

Ocasio-Cortez also declined to say whether she would challenge Schumer in the 2028 Democratic primary for his New York Senate seat. The congresswoman has previously left open the possibility of running against him when his current term expires.

"The last thing that people want to hear from me or any other politician here is about the next election," Ocasio-Cortez told reporters. She said voters instead want Democrats to explain how they intend to use their newly acquired congressional power, including planned investigations, legislative priorities and other actions they expect to pursue.

The 37-year-old congresswoman has also left open the possibility of seeking the Democratic presidential nomination in 2028. During an August appearance on ABC News' "This Week," she said she had not ruled out a White House campaign and was humbled by the support she had received.

Progressive activists and union leaders launched a new organization called "Ready for AOC" on Monday to encourage her to enter the presidential race. The group plans to build a nationwide volunteer network, recruit 10,000 organizers and volunteers, and collect 1 million signatures urging Ocasio-Cortez to run.

Ravi Sahai, a spokesperson for the organization, told QNS that more than 500 activists across 35 states had signed up as organizers and that the group had collected more than 4,000 signatures by Monday afternoon.