Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) threw her support behind Abdul El-Sayed in Michigan's Democratic Senate primary on Thursday, a significant endorsement that arrives just weeks before the party's voters head to the polls. The former Wayne County health director, a progressive, is vying for the seat being vacated by retiring Sen. Gary Peters (D-Mich.).
“We are proud to endorse Abdul El-Sayed to be Michigan’s next senator. Abdul is building a winning coalition by putting forward an agenda that speaks directly to working people,” Ocasio-Cortez’s team posted on the social platform X. The New York Times first reported the endorsement.
In an interview with the Times, Ocasio-Cortez—a potential 2028 presidential or Senate contender—argued that El-Sayed gives the Democratic Party its strongest chance of holding the seat in the general election. The race is a top target for Senate Republicans, especially in a swing state that backed Donald Trump in 2024.
El-Sayed Welcomes Endorsement
El-Sayed, who also has the backing of the United Auto Workers, one of Michigan's most influential unions, responded with his own statement. “AOC has spent her career taking on the powerful on behalf of everyday people, and she has shown all of us what courageous, smart, values-driven leadership looks like,” he wrote online, sharing photos of the two from 2018 and this year.
The primary pits El-Sayed against Rep. Haley Stevens (D-Mich.), widely seen as the pick of Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), and state Sen. Mallory McMorrow. The contest has become a proxy battle over the direction of the party, with El-Sayed representing its insurgent, progressive wing and Stevens standing for the establishment.
Ocasio-Cortez has largely stayed out of contested Senate primaries this cycle, making her intervention notable. In contrast, Sens. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) have been more active in backing candidates in heated House and Senate races. Her endorsement adds to a string of progressive victories in safely blue primaries, and the Michigan contest will test whether that momentum can extend into more competitive terrain.
Broader Context
The endorsement comes as Ocasio-Cortez warns of rising costs and pushes for antitrust action, issues that resonate with progressive voters. In Michigan, recent polls show El-Sayed as the frontrunner, though the race remains fluid. The primary is set for Aug. 4, and the winner will face a stiff Republican challenge in a state Trump carried.
Other progressives have rallied around El-Sayed, including Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), who joined Sanders in backing the former health official. The outcome could signal the strength of the progressive movement in a key battleground state.
