Exclusive: AOC gives late boost to Senate candidates
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Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) speaks at a campaign rally in California last week. Photo: Mario Tama/Getty Images
New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is giving a last-minute infusion of cash to help three Democratic Senate candidates in top battleground races, her team told Axios first.
Why it matters: The $450,000 boost in the final weekend of the midterm campaign is the latest sign that Ocasio-Cortez is looking to build alliances with Democrats across the country as she considers a run for president in 2028.
Driving the news: Ocasio-Cortez on Friday transferred $150,000 apiece to boost Maine Senate contender Troy Jackson, Alaska Senate nominee Mary Peltola and Florida Senate hopeful Angie Nixon.
- Ocasio-Cortez previously donated $1 million to help Abdul El-Sayed's Senate campaign in Michigan.
What they're saying: "Mary, Angie, and Troy are three working-class Americans with a chance to transform the U.S. Senate," Ocasio-Cortez told Axios in a statement.
- "Their elections would be consequential for the whole country, and I am proud to stand with them."
- Ocasio-Cortez sent her money to the victory funds for Jackson and Nixon, and to the Alaska Democratic Party to benefit Peltola, her team said.
Between the lines: Jackson and Nixon are, like Ocasio-Cortez, progressive Democrats who support Medicare for All. Both of them invited Ocasio-Cortez to campaign with them.
- If Jackson and Nixon were to win their races, they would give Ocasio-Cortez key allies in the Senate ahead of the 2028 elections.
- Ocasio-Cortez also is weighing a run for the Senate in two years, for the seat currently held by Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.).
- Peltola is a more traditional Democrat than the other two, but she and Ocasio-Cortez built a relationship when she served in the House, according to a person familiar.
- Nixon, running in Republican-led Florida, faces an especially uphill battle. But political observers say she has run an energetic campaign and has a history of defying political odds.
Catch up quick: Ocasio-Cortez also has donated to House candidates in this year's midterms and used her email list to raise money for them.
- She mostly recently sent out a fundraising email to her list on behalf of Randy Villegas, a progressive Democrat running for the House in a swing district in California.
- Ocasio-Cortez this month barnstormed the country for several candidates running for competitive House and Senate seats, including El-Sayed. Some other swing-seat Democrats have distanced themselves from her.
