Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) has long been noncommittal about whether she ever plans to run for president, along with the usually concurrent question of whether she plans to challenge or succeed Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) for his Senate seat in New York. When she first rose in politics with her 2018 election to Congress, the woman known as AOC wasn’t even constitutionally allowed to run for president, because she wasn’t yet old enough, although she turned 35 last year.
Might AOC run in 2028, in the lane occupied by Bernie Sanders in the 2016 and 2020 races?
One poll this week showed a good result if Ocasio-Cortez goes up against JD Vance one-on-one in a 2028 race. And she’s actually acknowledged it.
Per The Hill, a new poll from The Argument/Verasight asked voters’ preferences in a race between those two candidates, and it had AOC winning with 51 percent compared to Vance with 49 percent; the poll apparently did not offer options for “undecided,” “neither,” or “other.”
The Argument/Verasight poll | 12/5-12/11
US President 2028
🟦Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez 51%
🟥JD Vance 49% https://t.co/IhZDLmy1x7 pic.twitter.com/o3eQMsT6EM— Politics & Poll Tracker 📡 (@PollTracker2024) December 17, 2025
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On X, AOC responded to the poll, with the single word “Bloop!”
Bloop! https://t.co/By2kl8LnWY
— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) December 17, 2025
Might this be an indication that AOC is looking at making a White House run? She talked about in an interview this week.
Ocasio-Cortez was asked by reporter Pablo Manríquez, “Do you think that you could beat JD Vance in a head-to-head race for president as polling suggests in 2028?”
“Listen, these polls like three years out are … they are what they are,” AOC said, as she entered a car near the Capitol. “But, let the record show… I would stomp him. I would stomp him!” Ocasio-Cortez, it’s clear, was laughing when she said this.
.@PabloReports: Do you think you could beat JD Vance in a head-to-head race for president, as polling suggests?
AOC: I would stomp him. pic.twitter.com/Kvh31kgwbD
— Acyn (@Acyn) December 17, 2025
Of course, to face Vance, Ocasio-Cortez would need to emerge from what will likely shape up as a crowded Democratic presidential primary.
According to the RealClearPolling average, Gov. Gavin Newsom is in the lead with 24.6 percent support, ahead of Kamala Harris with 22.2 percent, Pete Buttigieg with 11.2 percent, and AOC with 8 percent. They’re ahead of Gov. J.B. Pritzker, Gov. Josh Shapiro, and “other” with 10.6 percent.
But as the Congresswoman said, it’s still early, none of those people have even started running yet, and polls are not being taken as regularly as they will be.
Photo courtesy of the Political Tribune media library.
