AOC joins El-Sayed in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula for final push

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez traveled to Michigan's Upper Peninsula on Thursday to campaign for Abdul El-Sayed in his tight Senate race against former Rep. Mike Rogers. The visit included town halls in Escanaba, Iron Mountain, and Marquette, marking her first trip to the state since El-Sayed won the Democratic primary in August.

The Upper Peninsula is a solidly Republican region where Donald Trump won by more than 20 percentage points in 2024. El-Sayed, who recently posted a video from Ionia County warning his opponent, "We're coming for ya, Mike," is attempting to prove that progressive candidates can win in purple states. Rogers dismissed the tour, telling reporters that El-Sayed would receive a "pretty cold welcome" in the area.

The campaign's strategy hinges on the belief that a strong progressive candidate can compete in swing states, a theory that will be tested 19 days before Election Day. Ocasio-Cortez has stated that a victory for El-Sayed would demonstrate that "anybody can win anywhere," while a loss could cement the narrative that progressives are a liability in competitive districts.

Read the full story at rawstory.com.