Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez endorsed Abdul El-Sayed on Thursday in Michigan’s Democratic Senate primary, ahead of the Aug. 4 primary that will decide the nominee to replace retiring Sen. Gary Peters.
El-Sayed is competing against Rep. Haley Stevens and state Sen. Mallory McMorrow; the primary winner will face Republican Mike Rogers in November.
Ocasio-Cortez said in an interview with The New York Times, "Despite our ideological differences and whatever disagreements there are in the party, every single one of us sees this moment as existential. 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."
El-Sayed welcomed the endorsement, writing on X, "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. I’m deeply honored to earn her endorsement. Onward to victory."
El-Sayed is backed by Bernie Sanders; Stevens has the tacit backing of Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, and AIPAC has boosted Stevens' campaign.
El-Sayed has risen to the top of the pack in recent public polling.
His populist economic platform includes banning tax incentives for companies such as Amazon, imposing new taxes on billionaires, eliminating medical debt and strengthening anti-monopoly laws.
The race has emerged as a major battleground over the ideological future of the party, and virtually any Democratic path to flipping the Senate in this year’s midterms would see the party hold the open Michigan seat.
The race is the first contested Senate primary in which Ocasio-Cortez has made an endorsement this midterm cycle.
Stevens was endorsed by Sens. Ruben Gallego of Arizona, Catherine Cortez Masto of Nevada and Chris Coons of Delaware, and McMorrow was endorsed by Sens. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, Chris Murphy of Connecticut and Martin Heinrich of New Mexico.
President Donald Trump won Michigan in 2024 after the state previously went to former President Joe Biden in 2020.
Rogers previously ran for Senate in 2024 and lost to Elissa Slotkin by less than 0.5% of the vote.