‘The dog has caught the car’: Why AOC is campaigning in Michigan’s Trump country

Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York is traveling to Michigan's Upper Peninsula on Thursday to back Abdul El-Sayed, the Democratic Senate nominee, in a contest that could decide which party controls the chamber. MS NOW reports the race may also influence her own prospects for a 2028 presidential bid.

El-Sayed, a progressive, beat the moderate Representative Haley Stevens in a harsh August primary that doubled as a fight over the party's direction. He now polls about even with Mike Rogers, a former Republican congressman. Democrats are wagering that a liberal can prevail in a purple state. Ocasio-Cortez will join El-Sayed's bus tour for town halls in Escanaba, Iron Mountain and Marquette, in a district Donald Trump carried by more than 20 points in 2024, according to The Downballot. Rogers said El-Sayed would meet a chilly reception and should focus on shoring up his base.

Ocasio-Cortez has told The New York Times she will choose after the midterms among a House re-election bid, a Senate run or a presidential campaign. A progressive House Democrat told MS NOW a loss would strengthen the claim that progressives hurt the party in swing states.

Summarized by PolitiKool from MS NOW’s reporting. Read the full story at MS NOW →