WASHINGTON — Democratic socialist Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is funneling $1 million to left-wing Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed, further establishing herself as a progressive power broker ahead of the 2026 midterms as part of the closely watched Michigan race.
“I will be transferring from our campaign in New York one million dollars to the state of Michigan to help support you all,” Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) told supporters at an event while stumping for El-Sayed in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula on Thursday.
“So I’m not talking about it — I’m being about it,” she said. The $1 million donation will be made to Abdul for Michigan Victory Fund, a joint fundraising committee with the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee and Michigan Democratic State Central Committee.
AOC was the top fundraiser in the House last year, with $23.5 million raised from deep-pocketed donors both in and outside of New York.
Currently, she’s got more than $17 million cash on hand in her principal campaign committee.
The “Squad” congresswoman, who is rumored to be eyeing a 2028 Senate challenge against Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) or a White House run, endorsed El-Sayed in July before he defeated Rep. Haley Stevens (D-Mich.) in the Michigan Democratic primary contest.
“If Abdul can win in Michigan, anybody can win anywhere,” Ocasio-Cortez told donors at a fundraiser for the ex-public health official in New York City, according to The New York Times.
Schumer had backed Stevens, who ran as the pro-Israel alternative to El-Sayed in the primary.
The Michigan Senate contest is pitting El-Sayed against repeat Republican candidate Mike Rogers, a former House Intelligence Committee chairman and ex-FBI special agent.
The election is one of several that will determine party control of the upper chamber this November, with Republicans at the moment holding a narrow 53-47 majority.
Ocasio-Cortez is just one of several Democratic stars hitting the trail with El-Sayed, as former President Barack Obama has dropped an ad endorsing the progressive candidate and headlining a rally with him later this month in Detroit.
