AOC responds after Vance calls her leading presidential candidate

Amethyst Martinez, USA TODAY NETWORKWed, July 1, 2026 at 3:31 PM UTC

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Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez responded to Vice President JD Vance's claim that she would be the leading Democratic presidential nominee for the Democratic Party.

The congresswoman has caused speculation in recent months over whether or not she's interested in higher office, while Vance is considered one of the potential frontrunners for the Republican nomination in 2028.

Here's what she said.

Vance claims AOC will be leading Democratic candidate, congresswoman responds

In a recent interview on The Michael Knowles Show, Vance was asked who he thought would be the leading candidate for the Democratic Party on the 2028 ticket.

“I think it’s got to be AOC," the vice president said, according to CNN.

"I know that’s probably conventional wisdom."

In response to Vance's answer, AOC told reporters that she hopes he is a nominee, too.

What AOC has said about a presidential run?

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In an interview in May, the 36-year-old New York congresswoman did not immediately shut out the idea of running next election, whether that be for a Senate seat or the White House.

"They assume that my ambition is a title or a seat," Ocasio-Cortez said. "And my ambition is way bigger than that. My ambition is to change this country."

The crowd erupted in cheers after her response.

"Presidents come and go. Senate, House seats, elected officials come and go," she said. "But single-payer healthcare is forever, a living wage is forever, workers' rights are forever, women's rights, all of that."

This is not the first time she has had to answer about her own political ambitions. In February, AOC was asked a similar question during a panel, the interviewer saying: “So, when you run for president, are you going to impose a wealth tax or a billionaire’s tax?”

Instead of answering flat-out, the congresswoman said that Americans “don’t have to wait for any one president to impose a wealth tax.”

“I think that it needs to be done expeditiously."

AOC's office did not immediately respond to a request for comment by USA TODAY Network on Vance's comments.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: AOC responds after Vance calls her leading presidential candidate

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