Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) has waded into Michigan’s Democratic primary for a vacant US Senate seat by endorsing Abdul El-Sayed.

AOC’s endorsement of El-Sayed comes at a critical time during the primary where El-Sayed has pulled ahead of his opponents, Congresswoman Haley Stevens and Senate Majority Whip Mallory McMorrow.

While El-Sayed’s fortunes have rapidly risen in the primary, a string of controversies could endanger the seat for Democrats if he becomes the nominee.

AOC joins other progressive heavyweights such as Senator Bernie Sanders (D-VT) in supporting El-Sayed. Sanders stumped for El-Sayed during a visit to Detroit in May, highlighting that progressives believe the Michigan Senate seat is within their reach.

In a social media post announcing her endorsement, AOC said that El-Sayed is building a “winning coalition.”

“We are proud to endorse Abdul El-Sayed to be Michigan’s next senator. Abdul is building a winning coalition by putting forward an agenda that speaks directly to working people”, AOC’s social media team wrote on X.

The Michigan GOP responded by calling the endorsement the “least surprising political news of the week”.

“The U.S. Senate in Michigan race is a choice between the crazy agenda of AOC and Abdul El-Sayed or the commonsense values of Michigan working families.”

El-Sayed is running ahead of his primary opponents in multiple polls, but hypothetical general election polls mostly show him in a dead heat with presumptive Republican nominee Mike Rogers.

The progressive Senate candidate has faced a number of controversies, including his association with far-left podcaster Hasan Piker and a recent indictment of one of his campaign staffers.

The indictment alleges that the 24-year-old campaign staffer was connected to a campaign that threatened University of Michigan officials and vandalized a building belonging to the Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Detroit.

[RELATED: McMorrow Campaign Tried to Keep Voters From Seeing Underwhelming Poll Numbers]

[RELATED: Former Abdul El-Sayed Aide Indicted in UM Threat Probe]