Ocasio-Cortez makes $1M donation to El-Sayed Senate bid

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) made a $1 million donation to Abdul El-Sayed’s (D) Michigan Senate campaign, a campaign spokesperson confirmed to The Hill on Friday.

El-Sayed is locked in a tight contest for Michigan’s U.S. Senate seat, facing off against former Rep. Mike Rogers (R-Mich.). Ocasio-Cortez said she made the donation because she did not want to regret not doing more for El-Sayed if he loses.

“I’m not waking up on November 4th wishing I did more to combat the smears aimed at Abdul,” Ocasio-Cortez said in a statement to The Hill. “I’m leaving everything I can on the field.”

Nonpartisan election forecaster Decision Desk HQ (DDHQ), a partner of The Hill, gives El-Sayed a 68 percent chance of winning the Michigan Senate race.

The New York congresswoman said she made the donation using campaign funds from more than 2 million donors, not from her personal wealth.

“It is not MY contribution. It is OUR contribution,” Ocasio-Cortez said in a fundraising email.

Ocasio-Cortez is crisscrossing the nation ahead of the midterms, rallying with other progressives including Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.). Ocasio-Cortez’s campaign tour for El-Sayed has included multiple stops across Michigan this week.

This cycle, Ocasio-Cortez has been more selective with her endorsements. She endorsed in only a handful of the congressional Democratic primary fights . She chose to endorse El-Sayed in his primary against Rep. Haley Stevens (D-Mich.), whom he defeated narrowly. She also endorsed a slate of progressive candidates in the New York state legislative primaries.

Her endorsements and rallies have increased speculation that she may choose to run for president in 2028. While she has not yet made up her mind on the decision, she told The New York Times last month that she may only get one chance.

“Life doesn’t wait for you to be ready for things,” Ocasio-Cortez said. “Sometimes life just makes things ready for you.”