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Democratic Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez defied party leadership with an endorsement of fellow leftist Abdul El-Sayed in Michigan's Democratic Senate primary.
The 36-year-old made the endorsement this week in an interview with the New York Times, in direct opposition to Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer who has endorsed Haley Stevens, a moderate US House Representative.
Ocasio-Cortez suggested that El-Sayed, much like NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani, would be able to electrify voters on social media.
'Just like it's extremely challenging to run candidates that can't raise money, it's also just as challenging to run a candidate that can't message online,' she told the Times. 'I think we've now kind of crossed this Rubicon where online and digital messaging is no longer a niche. It is a core competency, just like any other.'
El-Sayed's platform is stridently anti-establishment. His campaign website advertises policies like abolishing ICE, ending the filibuster, placing an arms embargo on Israel, additionally taxing billionaires, and providing Medicare to all Americans.
On a leaked campaign conference call after Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed by US-Israeli strikes, El-Sayed was recorded saying he wanted to avoid commenting on the Iranian Supreme Leader's death because many constituents were upset by his death.
'There are a lot of people in Dearborn who are sad today,' El-Sayed said in audio obtained by the Washington Free Beacon, referring to America's Muslim capital. 'So, I just don't want to comment on Khamenei at all. I don't think it's worth even touching that.'
Ocasio-Cortez's endorsement yet again pits her against Democratic leadership as rumors of a possible 2028 presidential run swirl around the Congresswoman.
