BS BULLETIN:

• Democrats in several competitive races reportedly don’t want Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez campaigning with them this fall.
• One senior Democratic strategist gave Axios a rather brutal explanation: “The polling is atrocious for her.”
• At least one Democrat who campaigned with AOC during the primary has since removed her endorsement from his campaign website.

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez may be testing her appeal beyond the progressive base.

Some Democrats fighting for their political lives apparently don’t want to participate in the experiment.

Candidates in several of the country’s most competitive races are keeping their distance from the New York congresswoman — and some have explicitly asked AOC’s team not to campaign with them, according to Axios.

One senior Democratic strategist working in a key swing district didn’t exactly sugarcoat the reason.

“The polling is atrocious for her,” the strategist told Axios. “She’s a lightning rod.”

The awkwardness is particularly noticeable because some Democrats were perfectly happy to have AOC around during primary season.

Montana House candidate Sam Forstag rallied with Ocasio-Cortez in May on his way to winning the Democratic nomination.

Now?

“I don’t intend to be having a lot of folks from out of state campaigning with me over these next 40 days,” Forstag told Axios when asked about having AOC stump for him.

His campaign website has also scrubbed Ocasio-Cortez’s endorsement.

There’s a similar shift in Michigan.

Democratic Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed brought AOC in to campaign during his primary, and he and his allies reportedly spent nearly $1 million on television advertising featuring her.

Since El-Sayed won the nomination, however, Axios reports that he’s spent almost nothing on ads featuring Ocasio-Cortez as Republican Mike Rogers attacks him as too far left. El-Sayed’s campaign says AOC would still be welcome back.

Then there’s New York, AOC’s own backyard.

Democratic House candidate Cait Conley, who’s challenging Republican Rep. Mike Lawler in a closely watched Hudson Valley district, told CNN this month that she would not campaign with Ocasio-Cortez.

Lawler, meanwhile, has been trying to tie Conley to AOC — and has cheekily invited Ocasio-Cortez to come campaign in the district himself.

The timing isn’t ideal for AOC as speculation grows about whether she could seek higher office in 2028.

A recent Siena College survey found her underwater statewide in New York, with 43 percent of likely voters viewing her favorably and 44 percent unfavorably. Among independents, the split was considerably worse: 34 percent favorable to 49 percent unfavorable.

AOC, for her part, doesn’t appear particularly worried about Republicans making her a campaign issue.

Asked about GOP efforts to link her to Conley, she told Axios she’d prefer Republicans keep spending their money on it.

“I invite them to spend even more money,” Ocasio-Cortez said, arguing they’re “just setting it on fire.”

DBS WIRE SOURCES:

• Axios — Swing-state Democrats shun AOC in fall campaigns
• Mediaite — Democrats reportedly beg AOC to stay away in swing states: ‘The polling is atrocious’
• New York Post — Lawler claims Democratic rival Cait Conley is aligned with Hochul, Mamdani and AOC
• Axios — AOC test-runs a Senate bid in upstate New York