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AOC proclaims if El-Sayed wins in Michigan, socialists can win ‘anywhere’

October 7, 2026 | | Print Article

U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) proclaimed that a victory by Democrat Senate hopeful Abdul El-Sayed in Michigan would be proof that radical socialist candidates can win “anywhere” in the country.

The radical Muslim’s race against Trump-endorsed former GOP congressman Mike Rogers is one of the most closely watched in the nation and could be a deciding factor in whether Democrats retake control of the upper chamber in next month’s midterm elections.

An El-Sayed win would be a huge boost to Democratic Socialist candidates who put together a string of stunning primary victories against incumbents this summer, and, according to AOC, it could open the floodgates going forward.

“What we do is that we break open the entire political calculus in America — period,” the socialist diva reportedly said at a closed-door fundraiser in New York on Monday. “Because if you can win, if Abdul can win in Michigan, anybody can win anywhere.”

“Anywhere,” she added in her remarks, which were caught on audio obtained by The New York Times, which first reported on the “Squad” leader’s boast.

The Democrat rock star is mulling a 2028 White House bid, with some already seeing her as the frontrunner in a field so ghastly that she might actually have a serious shot at the party’s nomination.

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“We are in a long-term — I’m being very open right now, right? — about our generational project that we have ahead of us,” AOC told the crowd at the fundraiser, according to the Times. “Generational. We are here to break the map.”

Ocasio-Cortez could also choose to run for embattled Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer’s seat, and would likely win easily if the party’s leadership fumbles away the midterms despite the favorable political environment for Democrats.

“We are up against not just an ascendant and fascist right wing in this country,” AOC later said, testing out lines from a potential 2028 stump speech. “But we are also up against people with extremely small imaginations about what is possible in America.”

In another sign of how important that Michigan is to leftists, former President Barack Obama is being deployed to help close the deal.

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El-Sayed announced that Obama will be joining him and other candidates on the campaign trail in Detroit in the closing days before the midterms, adding more star power to his backers.

Ocasio-Cortez formally endorsed El-Sayed in July, a month before he narrowly defeated establishment favorite Rep. Haley Stevens (D-Mich.) in the Wolverine State’s primary.

“Congresswoman Ocasio-Cortez has changed the trajectory of American politics and inspired a generation to believe that government really can work for working people,” the candidate said at the time. “She 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 am deeply honored to earn her endorsement for US Senate.

“This project is not about one race, it’s not about one cycle, it’s not about any one person — it’s about all of us,” AOC reportedly told attendees at the fundraiser. “And my dedication, and I know so many of our dedication, is that we are going to come out of this nightmare stronger than we’ve ever been before.”

“It starts with Abdul,” she added.

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Chris Donaldson
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