Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is drawing big crowds as she campaigns for progressive Democrats before the Nov. 3 election. Supporters have packed rooms and chanted her name during appearances that have taken her from Michigan’s deeply Republican Upper Peninsula to university towns in Ohio and Maine. and out west. But the New York congresswoman is looking to prove that her political appeal can translate into victories at the ballot box. With a potential 2028 presidential run on her mind, the results could help shape her future. Ocasio-Cortez is putting her influence behind candidates in competitive races, testing whether the progressive agenda can win over voters beyond the traditional Democratic base.