Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez believes the mess in Michigan’s Senate race isn’t limited to the Democratic Party. It has also left its mark on her hair.
In a video selfie posted on her Instagram story, the New York Democrat laughs as she lies down and talks about the “incident” that kept her hair glossed on her head too long, turning it black. She jokingly says the reason is “the drama in Michigan,” referring to Rep. Haley Stevens, the Michigan Democrat whose endorsement of a Republican has impacted the race.
“So now that it’s over, we’re never going to bring this up again,” Ocasio-Cortez said in the video. “However, the incident that did precipitate my hair gloss staying on too long and turning my hair black was the drama in Michigan. And you know what? It turned out OK, so we’re all right.”
The humorous clip comes after Tuesday’s midterm election, in which Democrat Abdul El-Sayed wins Michigan’s open Senate seat. Ocasio-Cortez campaigned with El-Sayed in the final stretch, as did Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders.
The drama started in the final week of the race. Stevens loses the August Democratic primary to El-Sayed and then endorses him, but later gets into an argument with El-Sayed’s campaign regarding an ad from Rebellion PAC, a liberal group, that blamed Israel for high grocery prices in the U.S. El-Sayed’s campaign claims that it has nothing to do with the ad, but Stevens’ fiancé, Jason Turkish, says that he is voting for Republican Mike Rogers because of it.
Speculation on October 28 that Stevens is shifting gears and moving away from endorsing El-Sayed prompts Ocasio-Cortez to call her and ask her to rethink her decision, according to Politico Playbook. The two have a 25-minute talk, and Stevens tells Ocasio-Cortez after the call that she is still in the game, the report adds.
“Thank you so much for talking to me and hearing me,” Stevens writes in a text message reviewed by Playbook.
Stevens has already complained publicly that she was not invited to Ocasio-Cortez’s event in Pontiac, in her own district, and that Ocasio-Cortez has not answered her texts since 2025. A source tells Politico that Stevens had told Ocasio-Cortez earlier that texting was not the best way to contact her.
On Sunday, Stevens joins Rogers in a church service in Detroit and then releases a video endorsing him, although she had previously called him corrupt and too close to Trump. President Donald Trump praises her move as brave, while Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer calls it a “despicable betrayal.”
The endorsement doesn’t affect the race’s outcome. Vote Beat calls the race for El-Sayed at 2:27 a.m. Wednesday, with El-Sayed getting 52% of the vote and Rogers 46%.
El-Sayed, who is a former Wayne County health director, becomes the first Muslim senator in the U.S. Senate. He will take the seat of Democratic Sen. Gary Peters, who does not seek re-election. Rogers, who lost a close 2024 Senate race to Democrat Elissa Slotkin, does not concede immediately.
El-Sayed’s victory helps Democrats take control of the Senate.
As for the hair, Ocasio-Cortez says that it turned out OK.
