The Democrats’ rising star is making a strong showing in a hypothetical 2028 presidential matchup against Vice President JD Vance.
New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez leads the vice president by two points, according to a new poll of 1,521 registered voters released Tuesday from The Argument/Verasight. The results, however, are still within the poll’s +/- 2.7 percent margin of error, meaning the pair is essentially tied in the race.
The poll results were broadly split when broken down by demographic. Around 54 percent of men indicated they would vote for Vance, and 56 percent of women indicated they would vote for Ocasio-Cortez. Vance received 57 percent of the white vote, but 79 percent of Black voters and 64 percent of Hispanic voters indicated they would vote for Ocasio-Cortez over Vance.
In a stunning part, eight percent of people who voted for President Donald Trump in the 2024 election indicated they would vote for Ocasio-Cortez in 2028 if she were the Democratic nominee.
In response to the poll, Ocasio-Cortez posted on X “Bloop!”
More polling of a potential 2028 Democratic primary, however, shows that Ocasio-Cortez, 36, is trailing behind other prominent Democrats.
A poll from Yale Youth Poll released last week revealed who Democrats want to see at the top of the ticket in three years. Of the 3,426 registered voters polled, California Governor Gavin Newsom had the highest level of support at 25 percent, and received an 85 percent electability rating. Former Vice President Kamala Harris had 18 percent of the support, and AOC had 16 percent.
Both Newsom and Harris have hinted at presidential runs, but AOC has stayed mostly silent on the matter. She has reportedly been debating whether to launch a primary bid against Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, who has been the frequent target of ire from grassroots progressives, or run for president in 2028.
One of her allies told The Hill in September, “Why wouldn’t she be considering this?” and called her “one of the biggest voices in the Democratic Party.”
Her quick rise within the party ranks has been one of the most significant in recent years. In her 2018 primary race, she upset longtime New York Rep. Joe Crowley, the No. 3 House Democrat at the time, and has since become something of a progressive darling.
She joined Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) on his cross-country “Fighting Oligarchy” tour earlier this year, which drew massive crowds even in red states like Idaho and Montana.
As a younger politician, she has utilized social media to her advantage, amassing more than 4.1 million followers on TikTok and over 10 million on Instagram.
Vance, for his part, has indicated he is focused on his role as vice president, rather than on presidential ambitions at the moment. His boss, Trump, has not yet indicated who he would support in the 2028 Republican primary, as he hasn’t even yet confirmed that he won’t try to make an unconstitutional run for a third term.
Trump has previously said, though, he believes both Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who was soundly defeated in the 2016 GOP presidential primary, would be the strongest candidates for the top of the Republican ticket.
