Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) has stepped up her attacks on Vice President JD Vance, sharpening contrasts that have fueled speculation about a possible 2028 presidential bid as she weighs her political future, according to a report from The Hill, with the congresswoman drawing national attention after condemning Vance’s defense of an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent involved in a fatal Minneapolis shooting. “I understand that Vice President Vance believes that shooting a young mother of three in the face three times is an acceptable America that he wants to live in, and I do not,” Ocasio-Cortez told reporters earlier this month, adding, “And that is a fundamental difference between Vice President Vance and I. I do not believe that the American people should be assassinated in the street.” Sources say Ocasio-Cortez is still deliberating whether to challenge Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer in a 2028 New York Senate primary or pursue a White House bid, but Democrats say her focus on national and international issues, from Venezuela to health care subsidies, increasingly mirrors that of a presidential contender, with Democratic strategist Hyma Moore saying, “The mini primary for 2028 has already begun and she’s in it. And people want her to be in it.”
Ocasio-Cortez has continued to keep Vance at the center of her political messaging, escalating her criticism after the vice president suggested the Minneapolis victim was responsible for her own death, telling The Independent, “As far as what a person like that believes, you have to start right there with the person you’re dealing with,” while also amplifying a recent The Argument/Verasight poll showing her narrowly leading Vance in a hypothetical matchup, which she shared on X with the caption “Bloop!” Asked about the poll by reporters, she joked, “Let the record show: I would stomp him. I would stomp him!” before walking away from the Capitol. Vance is widely seen as the early Republican frontrunner for 2028 and has received backing from allies of President Trump, who said last summer he would “most likely” endorse him, as well as an early endorsement from Erika Kirk at a Turning Point USA conference, while Democrats argue Ocasio-Cortez has adopted a deliberate strategy to define Vance early, with Moore saying, “He’s the early GOP/MAGA frontrunner [and] no one else has formed a salient anti-Vance message.”
Democrats say Ocasio-Cortez could emerge as the standard-bearer for the party’s progressive wing, following a path similar to Sen. Bernie Sanders’ past campaigns, though her biggest primary obstacle would likely be California Gov. Gavin Newsom, who is widely viewed as a top-tier contender due to his fundraising strength, national profile, and recent clashes with President Trump. While some strategists caution that her age and gender could pose challenges in a party still reflecting on losses in 2016 and 2024, others believe her national appeal and ability to mobilize voters give her a viable path, with Democratic strategist Jamal Simmons saying, “If she runs, she will be a factor the same way Bernie was a factor because there is populist progressive hunger in the electorate.” For now, Ocasio-Cortez has yet to announce her plans, but allies say her recent moves suggest she is carefully positioning herself, with Moore concluding, “She’s starting to lay the seeds.”