Vice President JD Vance said Tuesday that Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is the likely frontrunner for the Democrat presidential nomination in 2028.

When reporters outside the Capitol asked about the comment, AOC smiled and replied, “I hope he is.”

Vance made the prediction during an interview on The Michael Knowles Show.

While promoting his new book, Vance dismissed California Gov. Gavin Newsom as a serious contender and argued that AOC will be the leading candidate.

“I think it’s got to be AOC,” Vance said. “I know that’s probably conventional wisdom.”

Vance explained, “I guess the question would be, ‘Who do you think really has the power in the Democratic Party?’ And if you think the answer is like Wall Street and the left-of-center business community, then it would be Ossoff, and if you think it’s the universities, it would be AOC.”

Hours after the interview aired, a reporter approached AOC in Washington and asked for her response to Vance naming her as the top Democrat candidate for 2028.

AOC paused, smiled, and said, “I hope he is.”

When the reporter followed up to ask whether she meant she hoped Vance would be the Republican nominee, AOC confirmed, “Yeah.”

WATCH:

Reporter: JD Vance just said in an interview that he thinks you are going to be the leading Democratic candidate for president in 2028. What’s your response to that?

AOC: pic.twitter.com/s5qodMBiN1

— Acyn (@Acyn) June 30, 2026

Vance is widely viewed as a strong favorite for the Republican nomination, while the Democrat side remains wide open with no clear frontrunner.

AOC has not officially declared any interest in running for president, but there have long been rumors and speculation that it is her ambition.

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