A campaign strategy memo for Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez argues that she has grown from a progressive firebrand into a major force in national Democratic politics.
The five-page document does not discuss a possible run for president or the Senate in 2028. Instead, it presents her as one of the party’s strongest advocates for working-class voters.
After Donald Trump won the 2024 presidential election, the memo says, Ocasio-Cortez began a nationwide effort to refocus Democrats on economic populism and build a movement around the needs of working families.
“Over the past two years, Rep. Ocasio-Cortez has built a record of success that extends beyond her own electoral victories,” the memo says. It describes her as a powerful endorser in New York and nationally, adding that candidates in rural areas and competitive districts see her support as an advantage in general elections.
The document points to more than 2 million contributions totaling $38 million, with an average donation of $17.56. It also says she directed more than $3 million to other Democratic candidates and state parties.
According to the memo, her small-dollar fundraising operation is unmatched in the House and comparable to that of Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt.
The strategy, it says, took shape after Ocasio-Cortez spoke with voters in her New York district who supported Trump and her in the same election. Those voters expressed frustration across party lines with an establishment they felt favored corporate billionaires over ordinary workers.
“As Democrats tried to understand why Trump had won again, Rep. Ocasio-Cortez argued that the path for the party to win back working-class voters should be centered on economic populism, confronting concentrated wealth and power, and revitalizing American democracy,” the memo says.
It credits her endorsements with helping shape key primary and general election contests in California, Michigan, Pennsylvania and Montana. The memo highlights Abdul El-Sayed’s Senate campaign in Michigan and Sam Forstag’s successful congressional primary bid in Montana as examples of her reach in rural and conservative-leaning areas.
Forstag was well behind in polls before appearing with Ocasio-Cortez and Sanders at a “Fighting Oligarchy” rally in Missoula. After her endorsement and the rally, he closed the gap and won the Democratic primary.
The memo describes two events as a turning point: Ocasio-Cortez’s unsuccessful bid to become ranking member of the House Oversight Committee, and a March 2025 budget standoff in which Senate Democratic leaders agreed to concessions during federal shutdown negotiations.
Afterward, she shifted her attention toward taking her message directly to voters.
At a rally in Idaho, she outlined the argument behind her national tour, describing the financial pressure many people face, fear of speaking openly, deepening divisions and the erosion of rights and protections. “Understand that this, right now, is what it feels like to be governed by billionaires,” she said.
In the two years since, the memo says, Ocasio-Cortez has held large rallies in politically competitive areas as well as in places dominated by either party.
“She made race-changing endorsements in swing districts and deep-blue party primaries, as well as in her home base of New York City,” the document says.
