Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez: ‘I Would Stomp Him’ in Hypothetical 2028 Run-Off Against JD Vance
By Solange Reyner | Thursday, 18 December 2025 02:44 PM EST
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., on Wednesday brushed aside a hypothetical 2028 presidential matchup with Vice President JD Vance.
Shown a poll from The Argument/Verasight suggesting she narrowly leads Vance 51% to 49%, Ocasio-Cortez waved off the numbers as premature before delivering a line that quickly made the rounds online.
“These polls like three years out — they are what they are,” she said.
“But let the record show I would stomp him. I would stomp him!”
With the next presidential election still years away, most strategists treat such surveys as conversation starters, not forecasts.
Ocasio-Cortez, 35, has never run statewide, much less nationally, and has repeatedly said she’s focused on her work in Congress.
Vance has emerged as a prominent figure in conservative politics after being picked as President Donald Trump’s running mate.
The poll shown to Ocasio-Cortez suggested a tight race, despite her high national profile. For Democrats, her name recognition and social media reach make her a cultural force.
For Republicans, those same traits make her a lightning rod, popular on the left, polarizing everywhere else.
The poll of 1,521 registered voters was conducted by The Argument magazine and Verasight from Dec. 5-11 and has a margin of error of ±2.7 percentage points.
