Democratic Representatives Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York and Ro Khanna of California are taking different approaches to the 2026 midterm elections as they emerge as potential successors to Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT). While both lawmakers have aligned with Sanders on key policy issues and specific candidates, their divergent strategies in the Michigan Senate primary have highlighted internal debates within the progressive movement regarding future leadership.
The competition for influence is centered on the primary for a Michigan Senate seat, where Ocasio-Cortez and Khanna have both endorsed former public health official Abdul El-Sayed. Ocasio-Cortez appeared alongside Sanders at a rally in Lansing last month and is featured in El-Sayed's television advertisements. Khanna has focused on separate digital fundraising appeals and independent campaigning for El-Sayed without the Vermont senator.
Sanders' inner circle reportedly views Ocasio-Cortez as his primary successor, citing their personal bond and shared staff, including her chief of staff Mike Casca, a former longtime Sanders aide. However, some progressive figures, such as "The Young Turks" founder Cenk Uygur, have criticized Ocasio-Cortez for a "selective" endorsement strategy that avoids challenging certain Democratic incumbents. Conversely, Khanna has built an expansive endorsement list and early-state infrastructure in New Hampshire, Nevada, and South Carolina, aided by former Sanders campaign manager Jeff Weaver.
In a statement, Sanders, 84, dismissed questions about his successor, stating that the focus should remain on "urgent issues" rather than the 2028 presidential election. Khanna has also stated he believes Sanders will have "many successors" and noted he will make his own decision regarding a potential presidential run around Thanksgiving. Ocasio-Cortez's office declined to comment on the matter.
The scale of this shift is reflected in the midterm cycles where these lawmakers are active. Khanna has endorsed dozens of candidates across the country and is building steering committees of 75 to 100 people in key primary states to lay the groundwork for 2028. For a typical household, this internal party shift could result in changes to the types of policies championed in Congress, such as the joint Ocasio-Cortez and Sanders legislation introduced in March that proposed a moratorium on data center construction to address artificial intelligence (AI) concerns.
The concrete day-to-day impact for voters involves which candidates appear on their ballots and receive national funding. Residents in battleground states like Michigan and Pennsylvania will see the immediate effects of these endorsements in their media markets and local rallies. The knock-on effects include how the Democratic establishment responds to primary challenges; for example, Khanna-backed candidates have already successfully defeated candidates preferred by the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) in districts like Maine's 2nd.
What happens next: The immediate focus is the Michigan Senate primary scheduled for Tuesday. Following the midterms, Khanna has stated he will announce his decision regarding a 2028 presidential bid around Thanksgiving. There are currently 2 years and 3 months remaining until the next presidential election. As these lawmakers continue their respective "economic patriotism" and campaign tours, the results of their endorsed candidates in the 2026 midterms will likely serve as a metric for their relative influence within the party.