Ocasio-Cortez Adopts Cautious Approach to 2026 Endorsements

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is approaching the 2026 midterm elections with a more selective strategy for endorsements and campaign appearances than in prior cycles. She added that the absence of an endorsement should not be interpreted as opposition to a candidate.

Ocasio-Cortez has scheduled a rally in Philadelphia on Friday with Pennsylvania state Rep. Chris Rabb. Next week she plans to campaign in Montana for a Democrat facing a contested primary. She has also indicated she will assist Democrats with their redistricting efforts following the midterms.

Interviews with more than a dozen Democratic lawmakers, aides and operatives show that Ocasio-Cortez is being deliberative in private discussions as well. Her allies said they will support whatever path she chooses, whether a Senate campaign, a presidential bid or remaining in the House.

“I’m not sure what she might decide,” said Minnesota Rep. Ilhan Omar. “She’s being strategic, looking at what her options are. I think, oftentimes, people will push you in a direction and set you up for failure. ” Polls cited by Semafor show Ocasio-Cortez leading in a hypothetical Democratic presidential primary and in a matchup against Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York.

In a recent interview she said her ambitions were “way bigger” than any title or elected office.

Ocasio-Cortez described her lighter pace of congressional endorsements this year as a change from how lawmakers typically use their influence. After playing a more confrontational role in the 2020 cycle, she has evolved into an occasional inside operator in subsequent elections.

Fellow Democrats noted her decision to avoid primary challenges against sitting lawmakers. Rep. Joyce Beatty of Ohio said the party is focused on winning the House and installing Hakeem Jeffries as speaker. She contrasted that approach with Sen. Bernie Sanders’ endorsement of a challenger to Rep.

Valerie Foushee in North Carolina earlier this year. Sanders told Semafor that Ocasio-Cortez “is doing a great job. ” When asked if she represented the future of his political style, Sanders responded that Wisconsin GOP Sen. Ron Johnson was the heir to his politics.

Some Illinois progressives expressed frustration that Ocasio-Cortez did not participate in most of their March primaries. She has not endorsed Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed in Michigan, even though both she and Sanders supported his 2018 gubernatorial bid.

Sanders endorsed El-Sayed on the day he entered the Senate race. Ocasio-Cortez previously endorsed Sen. Ed Markey in his 2020 primary. This cycle she has remained neutral in the challenge to Markey from Rep. Seth Moulton. The Squad Victory Fund, a political action committee tied to the group’s original members, has not invested in any new races this year.

Members of the group, including Ocasio-Cortez, have largely stayed out of former Rep. Cori Bush’s bid to reclaim her seat from Rep. Wesley Bell of Missouri. Rep. Becca Balint of Vermont, who previously supported Ocasio-Cortez’s bid for a top committee post, said the congresswoman is genuinely assessing her plans rather than being coy about them.

Rep. Pramila Jayapal of Washington said Ocasio-Cortez does not need to decide immediately. “She’s not like a politician that needs to build name ID, which is why a lot of people get in early.