Democrats Divided Over Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez as Some Candidates Distance Themselves

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., is emerging as a prominent and polarizing figure in the lead-up to the 2026 midterm elections. Some moderate Democratic candidates are reportedly distancing themselves from the progressive lawmaker, while others in competitive races are welcoming her endorsement, according to Axios.

Democratic strategists suggest this division is not surprising, citing Ocasio-Cortez's variable numbers with independent voters and the need for candidates to tailor their campaign strategies to their specific districts. "It wasn't especially surprising, like, her numbers with independent voters aren't always great, and it's very circumstantial depending upon where you would want to deploy somebody with that type of background and somebody who, you know, a lot of Americans have an impression of already — sometimes positive, sometimes negative," Mike Nellis, a former political advisor for Kamala Harris, told Fox News Digital.

At least two candidates appear to view Ocasio-Cortez's support as a potential liability. Cait Conley, challenging Rep. Mike Lawler, R-N.Y., stated she was "good" when asked about campaigning with progressive figures like Ocasio-Cortez or Zohran Mamdani. Sam Forstag, running in Montana, reportedly removed mentions of Ocasio-Cortez's endorsement from his campaign website and indicated he did not plan to have "a lot of folks from out of state campaigning with me over these next 40 days."

A veteran Democratic strategist noted that in the final stretch before an election, campaigns aim to keep their messaging "specific and local and repeatable," suggesting that national celebrities do not always align with this goal. "AOC is more of a celebrity" than many other potential presidential contenders, the strategist added, noting her ability to transcend into general culture, which makes her involvement in campaigns more impactful.

However, Ocasio-Cortez's influence is also being actively sought in key races. In July, she joined Sen. Bernie Sanders to campaign for left-wing candidate Abdul El-Sayed in Michigan's Democratic Senate primary. El-Sayed narrowly won his nomination and his campaign stated they would welcome Ocasio-Cortez's return to Michigan. "There are a lot of Michiganders who can't wait to have AOC back in town," said Roxie Richner, El-Sayed's campaign communications director.

Ocasio-Cortez also recently appeared in Florida to support state Rep. Angie Nixon, who is running an underdog campaign for the U.S. Senate. These campaign appearances come amid ongoing speculation about Ocasio-Cortez's own future political ambitions, including a potential 2028 presidential run, which she has neither confirmed nor denied.

Nellis commented on Ocasio-Cortez's political potential, stating, "I think she's a unique political talent. She's clearly got, like, a large group of people in the country who would get behind her, and those are the beginnings of what you need to build an operation to run for president. So I think she'd be stupid not to think about it." He also suggested that a run for the U.S. Senate from New York might be a more strategically sound immediate option for her.