Democrats split on AOC as some battleground candidates distance themselves from 'Squad' lawmaker

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., is fast becoming a central figurehead in the 2026 midterm election cycle, and a polarizing one at that.

Some moderate candidates are shunning the progressive rising star's endorsement, Axios reported this week, while others in tight races are welcoming her with open arms.

Several Democratic strategists who spoke with Fox News Digital said they were not shocked that some on the left are keeping her at arm's length.

"It wasn't especially surprising, like, her numbers with independent voters aren't always great, and it's very circumstantial depending upon where you would want to deploy somebody with that type of background and somebody who, you know, a lot of Americans have an impression of already — sometimes positive, sometimes negative," Mike Nellis, a former political advisor for ex-Vice President Kamala Harris, told Fox News Digital. "I always just encourage people, like, you do what you gotta do, cause it's hard to play coalition politics."

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And there are at least two candidates who appear to think the original "Squad" member is more of a liability.

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Cait Conley, who is running to unseat Rep. Mike Lawler, R-N.Y., in a district nearby Ocasio-Cortez's, told CNN's State of the Union "I'm good" when asked if she would campaign with Democratic socialists like her or New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani.

Conley's campaign did not return a request for comment by Fox News Digital by publication time.

And Sam Forstag in Montana reportedly removed all mention of Ocasio-Cortez's endorsement from his campaign website. He told Axios, "I don't intend to be having a lot of folks from out of state campaigning with me over these next 40 days."

Forstag's campaign did not return multiple emailed requests for comment by Fox News Digital.

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"In the final days leading up to an election, you want to make your message specific and local and repeatable and national celebrities just dont help with that," a veteran Democratic strategist who works on House and Senate campaigns told Fox News Digital.

The strategist, who asked to remain anonymous to speak more freely, said "AOC is more of a celebrity" than most of the other potential 2028 Democratic presidential contenders. "I think AOC is one of the few Democrats who has transcended to just culture generally, which makes her visits heavier in the discourse."

And that celebrity status is being used in other key races. Ocasio-Cortez joined forces with fellow progressive champion Sen. Bernie Sanders to headline a trio of ral