Moderate Democrats appear to have shown an aversion to stumping with Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) as the midterm homestretch kicks into gear, raising questions about the Bronx and Queens rep’s clout beyond the lefty base.
asserted
homestretch → appear → base
“I get the sense that a lot of swing state Dems are byproducts of the very Democratic Party that lost 1,000 seats since 2010 and lost to Trump twice,” Corbin Trent, Ocasio-Cortez’s former communications director, bluntly told The Post about the apparent snub from moderates.
asserted
Trent → get → moderates
One that is pulled hither and yon by the increasingly poor advice of consultants,” he added.
asserted
he → pull → consultants
Several moderate Democrats in nail-biters such as Hudson Valley’s Cait Conley, who haven’t campaigned with Ocasio-Cortez, didn’t seem to have qualms campaigning with other bigwig Democrats like former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg.
asserted
who → campaign → Buttigieg
There have been a few swing-state Democrats mired in tough races who have expressed interest in bringing Ocasio-Cortez to the campaign trail, with a spokesperson for Michigan Senate hopeful Dr. Abdul El-Sayed telling Axios, there are “a lot of Michiganders who can’t wait to have AOC back in town.”
asserted
who → mire → town
The progressive darling also campaigned with Florida Senate nominee Angie Nixon, a self-described democratic socialist, earlier this month.
asserted
darling → campaign → Nixon
But most of those Democrats interested in stumping with Ocasio-Cortez have largely hewed to the lefty flank of the Democratic coalition, with El-Sayed previously campaigning with far-left streamer Hasan Piker during his primary, for example,
asserted
Sayed → stump → example
Over the weekend, Ocasio-Cortez began a swing through upstate New York — a region of the state that could prove critical if she were to vie for the Senate in 2028.
uncertain
she → begin → 2028
During that trip, she briefly crossed paths with Rep. Josh Riley (D-NY), whose district is generally considered not very competitive this cycle.
asserted
district → cross → Riley
“Candidates innately know what might work and what doesn’t.
uncertain
what → know → ?
They’ll use another politician if it helps,” a source close to the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC) told The Post.
asserted
source → use → Post
“They’ll stay away if it doesn’t.
asserted
it → stay → ?
Each decision is case by case and rooted in self-interest.
asserted
decision → root → interest
It’s about winning.”
asserted
It → ’ → winning
During the primary cycle, Ocasio-Cortez had been welcomed with open arms into close races to stump with hard-core progressives.
asserted
Cortez → welcome → progressives
The Queens and Bronx rep mounted a high-profile blitz across the country during her “Fighting the Oligarchy” tour with Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.)
asserted
rep → mount → Sanders
But one veteran Democratic operative stressed that “Candidates tend to run to the middle in a general election, so they might not have AOC in for a Congressional midterm.”
uncertain
they → stress → midterm
“Ultimately, surrogates don’t matter much in these races, and I wouldn’t read too deeply into what this means for a presidential campaign,” the operative added.
asserted
operative → matter → campaign
“Those are won on more than ideology, like charisma, energy, enthusiasm, and the ability to connect with voters.
asserted
Those → win → voters
”
“All of those are aspects at which she excels.”
asserted
she → excel → which
When asked about her lack of appearances in swing state races, the congresswoman’s chief of staff, Mike Casca, simply told Axios: “Call us on Nov. 3.”
asserted
chief → ask → Nov.
The Post contacted Ocasio-Cortez’s team for comment.
asserted
Post → contact → comment
“In general — life doesn’t wait for you to be ready for things.
asserted
you → wait → things
Sometimes life just makes things ready for you,” she told the New York Times in a recent interview.
asserted
she → make → interview
At another point, she added: “We will learn a lot in November.”
asserted
We → add → November
The Aporia
