An aisle-crossing endorsement following a failed intervention marked a loss for New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D) in more than one way for the aspiring leftist leader.
From a champagne socialist tour with Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders (I) to stumping for some of the most radical candidates throughout the election cycle, speculation about higher office for the Squad member has seen her actively working to build her name ID. Behind the scenes, however, unifying leadership skills appeared to be lacking as a last-minute call on behalf of Abdul El-Sayed (D) reportedly failed to get Michigan Rep. Haley Stevens (D) to maintain her endorsement.
According to Politico’s Playbook, after not getting a text response from Ocasio-Cortez since 2025, Stevens received a series of communications aimed at keeping her in lockstep.
“After a 25-minute phone call Stevens told the progressive star she was still on the team,” detailed Politico. “They even exchanged text messages suggesting AOC helped head off a major Democratic defection, with Stevens telling AOC she thought she ‘did the right thing,’ according to text messages reviewed by Playbook.”
“[T]hank you so much for talking to me and hearing me,” read a message to Ocasio- Cortez. “It means the world. Now back to the productive stuff.”
The New York lawmaker replied, “You really did and thank you for talking to me too. I’m sorry again and I’m really glad we got to connect and talk and I hope we are able to more. Sending you a big hug.”
What followed was Stevens’ request for El-Sayed’s campaign to disavow an allegedly antisemitic campaign ad from Cenk Uygur’s Rebellion PAC. Instead, it was reported that the Islamist’s campaign told the pro-Israel congresswoman to “stay away” as he released a statement lobbing another attack at the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC).
Friendly fire: El-Sayed campaign reportedly tells pro-Israeli Dem to ‘stay away’ https://t.co/LUiRgl38li via @BIZPACReview
— BPR (@BIZPACReview) October 31, 2026
Along with reports of getting blocked from campaigning with El-Sayed, Stevens spoke with Politico about how she hadn’t been invited to an event involving Ocasio-Cortez in her own district.
“Nobody wants the Democratic Party to feel like an exclusive club” she said. “It’s starting to feel like AOC comes in and it’s exclusive.”
Prior to the endorsement change, the lawmaker claimed, “I’m not working to create World War III right before the election.”
In the wake of the infighting, Stevens jumped ship and unloaded her November surprise with an endorsement of former Rep. Mike Rogers (R) for Senate, following in the footsteps of her fiancé, Jason Turkish.
Where it concerns El-Sayed, Turkish told The Detroit News, “I’ve just seen an escalation in his rhetoric since the primary, and it makes folks unsafe. Every time he talks about genocide (in Gaza), Jews get death threats.”
“We have never seen a candidate for U.S. Senate act so recklessly toward the safety of Jews in the community as we have seen from Abdul,” he went on, as Jewish Democrats had gone as far as avoiding the state convention out of fear for their safety.
Native of Brooklyn, NY, Kevin Haggerty is a graduate of Hunter College where he studied Cultural Anthropology and Geography. An avid reader and truth seeker, he currently resides in Texas with his wife and their dog and, when he isn't researching current events and their impacts, you'll find him spending time with friends and family or working on his next novel.
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