Socialist lawmaker Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., is already making very bold predictions about her political future.
And they involve current Vice President JD Vance.
AOC, who is building momentum for a potential 2028 presidential run, went after Vance this week and predicted she would “stomp him” if the two ran against each other in the 2028 race.
AOC’s wild claim comes on the heels of a new Verasight polling that shows the democratic socialist narrowly ahead of Vance, 51% to 49%, in a hypothetical 2028 matchup.
This week, AOC posted the results of the poll on X:
Bloop! https://t.co/By2kl8LnWY
— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) December 17, 2025
When asked by a reporter if she thought she could defeat Vance, she replied:
“Listen, these polls, like three years out, are, you know, they are what they are. But let the record show: I would stomp him. I would stomp him!”
Take a listen —
While AOC continues to be floated as a frontrunner for the Democratic nomination in 2028, she continues to jostle with other Democrats for the party’s nomination, including the likes of former Vice President Kamala Harris, California Gov. Gavin Newsom, and former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg — all who are leading AOC in recent polling.
Republican political strategist Libby Krieger of the Communications Counsel told Fox News that while AOC could resonate with younger, progressive voters with comments like she made about Vance, the move is reminiscent of Harris’ failed campaign and could ultimately backfire.
“It is a case of the squeaky wheel gets the grease, so it wouldn’t be surprising that she will run a vibes-based campaign,” Krieger said.
“This is because a lot of her substance is soundbites or progressive policies,” Krieger added.
Krieger said that AOC — if she were to run — is planting the seeds into a youth-oriented, “vibes”-driven campaign targeted toward young voters.
“AOC is trying to lean into the Gen Z language and connect with younger voters,” she said.
“She is setting up a campaign that would be based more on vibes than on her policy platform.”
Krieger compared the approach to Kamala Harris’ attempt to embrace “brat” culture during the last cycle.
“This almost seems reminiscent of Kamala’s use of ‘brat’ and her version of that,” she said.
“AOC would probably do a little bit better than Kamala in running a campaign based on vibes because she’s younger,” Krieger explained.
“But she’ll still have to talk some policy, as not every voter will be content with voting on vibes – and when she does talk policy, they’ll all see how radical she really is.”
“AOC is not a great candidate because the policies that she has come to be known for are extremely progressive,” Krieger added.
“If she were to make it to a general election she would have to center herself a little bit more to the middle, but that’d be hard given the reputation she’s made for herself.”
According to Krieger, she believes Vance holds an advantage with voters who prioritize depth and policy grounding.
“J.D. Vance has more substance than AOC and I think Americans would see that,” she said.
“Vance knows his stuff on nearly every issue and is extremely articulate, and he’s also young.”
Krieger also admitted that both AOC and Vance do a good job of tap into visually appearing more popular, including a willingness to appear casual or self-aware online.
“Decorum can sometimes be perceived as elitist or very establishment,” she said.
“But Vance has the advantage of not just being a squeaky wheel like AOC while still being young enough to come across as relatable.”