Swing-state Democrats reportedly want AOC to stay away. One candidate scrubbed her endorsement from his campaign website: ‘She’s a lightning rod’

A Sunday Axios report said swing-state Democratic candidates have been asking Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez to stay away from their races. The outlet reported they fear her presence could hurt their chances of winning.

A top Democratic strategist told Axios, “The polling is atrocious for her.” The same strategist added, “She’s a lightning rod.”

Axios said some Democrats who once welcomed her on the campaign trail are now trying to keep her away.

Forstag told Axios he does not plan many out-of-state campaign appearances in the closing weeks

Montana House candidate Sam Forstag suggested he did not want another visit from Ocasio-Cortez, according to the report. The political distance comes as Ocasio-Cortez’s personal life also draws public attention, such as reports about her dating life. That came only months after she flew to Montana and campaigned for him in the rain.

When Axios asked about AOC returning to help, Forstag said, “I don’t intend to be having a lot of folks from out of state campaigning with me over these next 40 days.” The report said he also removed her endorsement from his campaign website.

Axios noted that Ocasio-Cortez has endorsed several candidates ahead of the November midterms. Those include Michigan Senate hopeful Abdul El-Sayed and Florida candidate Angie Nixon.

In recent months, she has tried to walk back some earlier positions. Mediaite points out that the shrugged off past support for abolishing prisons and defunding the police by declaring, “Woke 1 was crazy!”

Speaking with ABC’s Jonathan Karl, she said Covid-19 lockdowns made everyone a bit kooky and willing to humor extreme ideas. She said those ideas should not be held against Democratic candidates in 2026.

On Sunday, Cook Political Report founder Charlie Cook called a Democratic House takeover a “done deal” during an interview on ABC’s This Week. He projected Democrats will gain 20 House seats and could possibly flip the Senate. But the fight for control of Congress is far from over, as Republicans have reportedly reserved $682 million in midterm ads that Democrats warn they cannot match.

Cook said the outlook was based mostly on voter anger at President Donald Trump, not enthusiasm for what Democrats are offering. “It isn’t pro-Democrat,” Cook said. “It’s anti-Trump, basically, and Republicans that have been supportive of the president.”