Ocasio-Cortez sends $1m to back Michigan Senate hopeful El-Sayed

US Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has moved $1m from her own campaign funds to support Abdul El-Sayed, a progressive candidate running for the Senate seat in Michigan. The transfer was confirmed by Ocasio-Cortez in a statement issued on Friday and during a campaign appearance in the state, and was first reported by the New York Times.

Ocasio-Cortez referenced the criticism directed at El-Sayed, much of which has centred on his Muslim faith, his Egyptian background and his stance on Palestine. She said she wanted to ensure she had done everything possible to counter these attacks before the November 3 midterm election.

While speaking at a campaign event near Detroit, she described the funding transfer as a signal that reinforcements were arriving for El-Sayed's campaign, crediting the enthusiasm shown by supporters as her motivation for the donation.

The financial support follows a period of active campaigning by Ocasio-Cortez on El-Sayed's behalf, including a joint bus tour through Michigan's conservative-leaning Upper Peninsula region and three events held in Detroit, the state's largest city, on Friday.

El-Sayed's campaign, built around a populist progressive platform, has been gaining ground among Michigan voters. According to a Real Clear Politics average of recent high-quality polling, he currently holds a 2.6 percentage point lead over Republican opponent Mike Rogers.