Ocasio-Cortez Endorses Abdul El-Sayed in Crucial Michigan Senate Race

Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, one of the nation’s most prominent progressives, is endorsing Dr. Abdul El-Sayed for Senate in Michigan, wading into her first contested Senate primary of 2026 in one of the nation’s top battlegrounds. Her endorsement, which she made in an interview with The New York Times, represents one of Ms. Ocasio-Cortez’s most assertive moves so far this year to build up the left flank of the Democratic Party. And it puts the congresswoman from New York in direct conflict with Senator Chuck Schumer, who has backed a more moderate candidate, Representative Haley Stevens, who he argues is more electable. Ms. Ocasio-Cortez said she holds the opposite view. She made the case that it is Dr. El-Sayed who has energized voters and built the kind of campaign and coalition to deliver the crucial state for Democrats. “Despite our ideological differences and whatever disagreements there are in the party, every single one of us sees this moment as existential,” Ms. Ocasio-Cortez said. “And I think many people are willing to put aside differences in order to give us the best chance at winning. And I think that Abdul gives us that right now.” Her intervention could energize progressive activists, who see a potential champion in Dr. El-Sayed. It could also enrage establishment-minded Democrats who are fearful that the party will fumble away a crucial Senate seat in a year that favors Democrats by veering left in a battleground state that voted for President Trump in 2024. Ms. Ocasio-Cortez’s endorsement follows a series of left-wing victories in competitive House primaries in deep-blue districts in Colorado and New York. Ms. Ocasio-Cortez did not endorse in those races. But the results have emboldened many on the left to believe that 2026 is the year to take power, not just from Republicans, but inside the Democratic Party itself. Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times. Thank you for your patience while we verify access. Already a subscriber? Log in. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.