Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) rallied with Rep. Eugene Vindman (D-Dale City) in Prince William County on Oct. 30.
Ocasio-Cortez, a possible presidential candidate in 2028 who’s also up for reelection this year, urged people to show up to the polls on Nov. 3 to help elect Vindman and other Democrats to Congress.
“Though we know this president and this administration is unpopular at a historic level,” Ocasio-Cortez told an enthusiastic crowd of supporters, “We also know that we cannot coast on the unpopularity of this very unpopular president.”
Nearly 60% of Americans disapprove of President Donald Trump, according to a polling average compiled by Silver Bulletin.
Ocasio-Cortez went on to praise Vindman for his work to ban congressional stock trading, his push for accountability for data centers, and his opposition to the Iran war.
While Vindman’s district is rated “likely Democratic” by The Cook Political Report, Ocasio-Cortez said Democrats don’t want to wake up the day after Election Day wishing they had done more.
“We want to leave every bit of energy on the field, and that’s why we’re here together today,” Ocasio-Cortez said. “And that’s why we are here to do everything we can to reelect my friend and your congressman Eugene Vindman with as high a margin as you possibly can.”
Vindman faces Republican Doug Ollivant in the Nov. 3 general election. At the rally, Vindman highlighted the impacts of healthcare funding cuts, the struggles of veterans to get healthcare, and how families are dealing with the ongoing affordability crisis in his district. He also spoke about the need for accountability for corruption in Washington.
“In the military, the higher you rise through the ranks, the higher the expectations for leadership and accountability,” Vindman said. “We should hold our elected representatives to that same standard, and that commitment to accountability must extend to every corner of the federal government, especially when those in positions of power abuse public trust.”
Jack Nuckols and Aurora Britt drove up from the Richmond area to hear Ocasio-Cortez speak because they hope she runs for president in 2028. They both said holding power accountable was their top issue this election cycle.
“The amount of unbelievable corruption that we’ve seen over the last two years has been astonishing,” Britt said in an interview after the rally. “It’d be incredible if it wasn’t so horrific.”
