Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez announced Friday that she’s handing $1 million from her own re-election fund to Abdul El-Sayed’s Michigan U.S. Senate campaign. She called it “a first” for her, especially for a Senate candidate, which tells you everything you need to know about how desperate the left is to flip that seat.
AOC made the announcement at a canvassing launch event in Pontiac, Michigan, and of course she made it sound deeply personal. “I believe so deeply in how important this state is,” she told reporters. I believe so deeply in the transformational power of Abdul’s leadership.” She added that she made the call after visiting the Upper Peninsula and Detroit and seeing “how much effort everyday people here in Michigan were putting into this election.” Nothing says “man of the people” like a New York congresswoman flying in to save the day.
The cash went to the Abdul for Michigan Victory Fund, a joint effort between El-Sayed’s campaign, the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, and the Michigan Democratic State Central Committee, according to AOC Michigan Senate donation. Rep. Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts was also along for the ride, joining AOC for stops in Pontiac, Dearborn, and Detroit. Pressley used the moment to demand the DSCC “take note” and pour even more money into “progressive and diverse” candidates. Because apparently one million dollars isn’t enough of a hint.
El-Sayed is running against Republican Mike Rogers, a former congressman, in what has become one of the most expensive Senate races in Michigan history. El-Sayed’s campaign reported raising $30.66 million between July 1 and September 30. Rogers raised $9.66 million in the same period. The left is outspending Rogers badly, yet the race is still very much up for grabs, which should tell Rogers’ team something encouraging.
Vice President JD Vance headlined a rally in Monroe on Thursday, calling El-Sayed “one of the craziest, one of the most far left and one of the most radical people running for high office in the history of the United States of America.” He also called him “a little weasel” who’s “obsessed” with Israel and conflicts thousands of miles from Michigan. President Trump weighed in on Truth Social as well, describing El-Sayed as “a RADICAL Extremist, Terrorist Sympathizer” and comparing him to “America Hating Hasan Piker.” AOC fired back, saying the attacks were designed “to create fear” and stop everyday Michiganders from hearing El-Sayed’s message about health care and wages.
The Rogers campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The race heads into its final stretch with both sides swinging hard, mountains of cash flooding in, and AOC now personally bankrolling the left’s best shot at the seat. If Rogers pulls this off anyway, it’s going to be a very long night for the Squad.
