A nationwide campaign trail can work up quite an appetite, even for one of the Democratic Party’s most recognizable progressive figures.
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez made a quick fast-food stop at In-N-Out after speaking at an event in Bakersfield, California, during her tour aimed at helping Democrats regain control of the U.S. House.
The New York Democrat visited the popular West Coast chain in Delano on Friday. She left smiling and carrying a red, white and yellow In-N-Out bag, holding the restaurant’s familiar logo toward the cameras.
Inside, Ocasio-Cortez waited in line with her arms folded. Once outside, she briefly waved to photographers as members of her security detail escorted her away.
The burger break came after Ocasio-Cortez spent roughly 15 minutes campaigning for Democrat Randy Villegas, who is challenging Rep. David Valadao in a heavily Hispanic California district. Democrats redrew the seat to improve their chances after Republicans pursued similar moves in Texas and elsewhere.
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Valadao has worked to distinguish himself from President Trump in a district Trump won by only 2 percentage points over Vice President Kamala Harris in 2024. The Republican lawmaker voted to impeach Trump in 2021 but later supported the president’s “Big Beautiful Bill” in 2025.
Ocasio-Cortez’s campaign schedule was far from over. She was expected in Las Vegas later Saturday for a Get Out the Early Vote rally with Rep. Steven Horsford, a Nevada Democrat.
“The same forces rigging the economy against working people are betting we stay home this November. But the people who make Nevada work will never fold — we’re going all in!” Horsford’s campaign said.
The In-N-Out visit followed another memorable fast-food outing in Michigan, where Ocasio-Cortez stopped at Culver’s with progressive Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed. She ordered a ButterBurger and cheese curds, later declaring, “My life has changed!”
Her enthusiasm for In-N-Out has not always been as strong. During another closely contested midterm election cycle in 2022, Pod Save America host Jon Lovett asked her what she thought of the chain’s fries.
“Thank you for saying this because every time I come out here, everyone’s like: ‘Oh my god, In-N-Out, In-N-Out.’ And I’m like, my controversial, nonpolitical opinion is that it’s overrated,” she said at the time. Ocasio-Cortez clarified that her criticism was aimed at the restaurant’s “dry fries,” not its burgers.
