AOC transfers $1m to Michigan candidate El-Sayed in progressive push

Progressive stalwart, who is seen as potential 2028 candidate, says she wants to combat ‘smears’ against El-Sayed.

US Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez addresses the crowd during a campaign rally for Michigan Democratic US Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed [File: Jose Juarez/The Associated Press]

United States Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has transferred $1m to support Michigan Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed, in a major progressive push for the upstart politician.

Ocasio-Cortez, who has become a progressive stalwart since her surprise 2018 congressional victory, confirmed the donation in a statement on Friday and a speech in Michigan. The transfer was first reported by the New York Times.

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The lawmaker pointed to political attacks against El-Sayed, a large portion of which have focused on his Muslim faith, his Egyptian heritage and support for Palestine.

“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, in reference to the November 3 congressional midterm election. “I’m leaving everything I can on the field.”

Speaking at an event in the Detroit area, Ocasio added that she transferred the money from her own campaign to show “the cavalry is coming”.

“And the only reason I’m doing that is because I see the energy of each and every one of you stepping up to make an effort,” she said.

The move comes as Ocasio-Cortez has been campaigning for El-Sayed in Michigan, joining him on a bus tour of the conservative-leaning Upper Peninsula area before hosting three events on Friday in the state’s largest city, Detroit.

El Sayed’s populist progressive message has gained traction with voters in the state, where he currently leads Republican Mike Rogers by 2.6 percentage points, according to a Real Clear Politics average of high-quality polls.

The support from Ocasio Cortez, who is weighing a potential 2028 presidential candidacy, also underscores a wider effort by progressives to court disaffected Trump voters. The pair highlighted economic issues while on the trail in the midwestern state.

Trump’s approval ratings are at a career low ahead of the midterm vote. A slate of recent polls has shown widespread public disapproval of Trump’s handling of the US economy and the knock-on effects of the US-Israeli war on Iran.

Recent polls have also shown an appetite for a more comprehensive change in US government, signalling a potential opening for candidates running outside of the establishment of both major parties.

An AP-NORC poll released this week found that 80 percent of respondents said they supported either a “complete and total upheaval” or “substantial change” in how the country is run.

Speaking alongside Ocasio-Cortez on Friday, progressive House Representative Ayanna Pressley called on the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, which raises and allocates funds for Senate candidates, to make “an equitable investment in progressive and diverse candidates” like El-Sayed, Florida Senate candidate Angie Nixon and Mississippi Senate candidate Scott Colom.

El-Sayed, who received an early endorsement from progressive US Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont, has also recently been embraced by a handful of more centrist Democrats, including former President Barack Obama and former Vice President Kamala Harris. Sanders donated $250,000 to El-Sayed’s campaign, CNN reports.

The new financial support from Ocasio-Cortez, which was given to the Abdul for Michigan Victory Fund, arrived as the Michigan Senate race has become one of the most expensive in the state’s history, topping $268m as of October 15, according to the Detroit Free Press.

El-Sayed, meanwhile, outpaced Rogers in fundraising from July 1 to September 30, bringing in $30.6m compared to Rogers’ $9.6m. Still, Rogers’ campaign had more cash on hand as of September 30, with $6.5m compared to El-Sayed’s $3.8 million.

Michigan is among the key Senate races that could determine control of the chamber for the final two years of US President Donald Trump’s term.

Republicans currently hold 53 seats in the 100-member body.

这位被视为 2028 年潜在候选人的进步派坚定支持者表示，她希望打击针对埃尔-赛义德的“抹黑”。

美国众议员亚历山大·奥卡西奥-科尔特斯在密歇根州民主党参议员候选人阿卜杜勒·埃尔-赛义德的竞选集会上向人群发表讲话。[图片：Jose Juarez/美联社]

美国众议员亚历山大·奥卡西奥-科尔特斯已向密歇根州参议员候选人阿卜杜勒·埃尔-赛义德捐赠 100 万美元，这是进步派为这位政坛新星发起的一次重大推动。

自2018年意外赢得国会席位以来，奥卡西奥-科尔特斯已成为进步派的坚定支持者。她在周五的一份声明和在密歇根州的一次演讲中证实了这笔捐款。纽约时报率先报道了这笔转账。

特朗普的伊朗战争如今面临中期选举问题（共3条，第1条）

美国法院驳回特朗普维持密歇根州燃煤电厂开放的紧急命令（共3条，此为第2条）。

卡玛拉·哈里斯与阿卜杜勒·埃尔-赛义德共同开展竞选活动，旨在团结民主党选民（共3项，此为第3项）。

这位议员指出，针对埃尔-赛义德的政治攻击，很大一部分都集中在他的穆斯林信仰、埃及血统以及他对巴勒斯坦的支持上。

奥卡西奥-科尔特斯在一份声明中表示：“我不会在11月4日醒来时后悔自己没有为反击针对阿卜杜勒的抹黑做得更多。”她指的是11月3日的国会中期选举。“我会竭尽全力。”

奥卡西奥在底特律地区的一次活动上发表讲话时补充说，她将这笔钱从自己的竞选活动中转移出来，是为了表明“援军即将到来”。

“我这样做的唯一原因是我看到了你们每个人都积极主动、努力奋斗的精神，”她说。

奥卡西奥-科尔特斯此举正值她在密歇根州为埃尔-赛义德助选之际，她与埃尔-赛义德一起乘坐巴士巡游了倾向保守派的上半岛地区，并在周五于该州最大的城市底特律举办了三场活动。

根据 Real Clear Politics 对高质量民调的平均值，埃尔·赛义德的民粹主义进步信息在该州选民中获得了支持，目前他领先共和党候选人迈克·罗杰斯 2.6 个百分点。

奥卡西奥-科尔特斯正在考虑是否参加2028年总统竞选，她的支持也凸显了进步派人士争取对特朗普不满的选民的更广泛努力。两人在中西部州的竞选活动中重点强调了经济问题。

在即将到来的中期选举前夕，特朗普的支持率跌至职业生涯新低。近期一系列民调显示，公众普遍不满特朗普对美国经济的处理方式以及美以战争对伊朗造成的连锁反应。

最近的民意调查也显示，民众渴望对美国政府进行更全面的改革，这预示着两大政党之外的候选人可能会迎来机会。

本周公布的一项美联社-NORC民意调查显示，80%的受访者表示支持对国家治理方式进行“彻底的变革”或“实质性的改变”。

周五，进步派众议员阿亚娜·普雷斯利与奥卡西奥-科尔特斯一同发表讲话，她呼吁民主党参议员竞选委员会（该委员会负责为参议员候选人筹集和分配资金）对进步派和多元化的候选人进行“公平的投资”，例如埃尔-赛义德、佛罗里达州参议员候选人安吉·尼克松和密西西比州参议员候选人斯科特·科洛姆。

埃尔-赛义德早早获得了佛蒙特州进步派参议员伯尼·桑德斯的支持，最近也得到了包括前总统巴拉克·奥巴马和前副总统卡马拉·哈里斯在内的一些中间派民主党人的支持。据CNN报道，桑德斯向埃尔-赛义德的竞选活动捐赠了25万美元。

据《底特律自由报》报道，截至 10 月 15 日，密歇根州参议员竞选的花费已超过 2.68 亿美元，成为该州历史上最昂贵的竞选之一。奥卡西奥-科尔特斯向阿卜杜勒密歇根州胜利基金提供了新的财政支持。

与此同时，从7月1日至9月30日，埃尔-赛义德的筹款额超过了罗杰斯，达到3060万美元，而罗杰斯仅筹集到960万美元。尽管如此，截至9月30日，罗杰斯的竞选资金仍然更多，达到650万美元，而埃尔-赛义德的竞选资金为380万美元。

密歇根州是决定美国总统唐纳德·特朗普最后两年任期内参议院控制权的关键参议院选举之一。

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