AOC transfers $1m to Michigan candidate El-Sayed in progressive push

United States Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has transferred $1m to support Michigan Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed, in a major progressive push for the upstart politician.

Ocasio-Cortez, who has become a progressive stalwart since her surprise 2018 congressional victory, confirmed the donation in a statement on Friday and a speech in Michigan. The transfer was first reported by the New York Times.

The lawmaker pointed to political attacks against El-Sayed, a large portion of which have focused on his Muslim faith, his Egyptian heritage and support for Palestine.

“I’m not waking up on November 4th wishing I did more to combat the smears aimed at Abdul,” Ocasio-Cortez said in a statement, in reference to the November 3 congressional midterm election. “I’m leaving everything I can on the field.”

Speaking at an event in the Detroit area, Ocasio added that she transferred the money from her own campaign to show “the cavalry is coming”.

“And the only reason I’m doing that is because I see the energy of each and every one of you stepping up to make an effort,” she said.

The move comes as Ocasio-Cortez has been campaigning for El-Sayed in Michigan, joining him on a bus tour of the conservative-leaning Upper Peninsula area before hosting three events on Friday in the state’s largest city, Detroit.

El Sayed’s populist progressive message has gained traction with voters in the state, where he currently leads Republican Mike Rogers by 2.6 percentage points, according to a Real Clear Politics average of high-quality polls.

The support from Ocasio Cortez, who is weighing a potential 2028 presidential candidacy, also underscores a wider effort by progressives to court disaffected Trump voters. The pair highlighted economic issues while on the trail in the midwestern state.

Trump’s approval ratings are at a career low ahead of the midterm vote. A slate of recent polls has shown widespread public disapproval of Trump’s handling of the US economy and the knock-on effects of the US-Israeli war on Iran.

Recent polls have also shown an appetite for a more comprehensive change in US government, signalling a potential opening for candidates running outside of the establishment of both major parties.

An AP-NORC poll released this week found that 80 percent of respondents said they supported either a “complete and total upheaval” or “substantial change” in how the country is run.

Speaking alongside Ocasio-Cortez on Friday, progressive House Representative Ayanna Pressley called on the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, which raises and allocates funds for Senate candidates, to make “an equitable investment in progressive and diverse candidates” like El-Sayed, Florida Senate candidate Angie Nixon and Mississippi Senate candidate Scott Colom.

El-Sayed, who received an early endorsement from progressive US Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont, has also recently been embraced by a handful of more centrist Democrats, including former President Barack Obama and former Vice President Kamala Harris. Sanders donated $250,000 to El-Sayed’s campaign, CNN reports.

Big spending

The new financial support from Ocasio-Cortez, which was given to the Abdul for Michigan Victory Fund, arrived as the Michigan Senate race has become one of the most expensive in the state’s history, topping $268m as of October 15, according to the Detroit Free Press.

El-Sayed, meanwhile, outpaced Rogers in fundraising from July 1 to September 30, bringing in $30.6m compared to Rogers’ $9.6m. Still, Rogers’ campaign had more cash on hand as of September 30, with $6.5m compared to El-Sayed’s $3.8 million.

Michigan is among the key Senate races that could determine control of the chamber for the final two years of US President Donald Trump’s term.

Republicans currently hold 53 seats in the 100-member body.