Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez hit an In-N-Out Burger in California on Friday, a notable stop for a politician who once publicly trashed the chain’s fries.
AOC, 35, swung through the Delano franchise after stumping for roughly 15 minutes for Democrat Randy Villegas, who is mounting a challenge against Rep. David Valadao (R-Calif.) in a heavily Hispanic district that Democrats redrew to their advantage. She stood in line with her arms crossed inside the West Coast eatery, then emerged gripping a red, white and yellow bag with the iconic logo facing outward while a security detail kept watch. She flashed a quick wave to photographers waiting outside.
The Bakersfield-area event was part of a nationwide tour aimed at flipping the US House. AOC’s campaign schedule kept moving fast: she was due in Las Vegas later Saturday for a Get Out the Early Vote Rally alongside Rep. Steven Horsford (D-Nev.). Horsford’s campaign fired off a statement ahead of the Nevada event, writing, “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!”
The California stop came with a side of political irony. Back in 2022, AOC made clear she was no In-N-Out devotee. During an appearance on Pod Save America, host Jon Lovett pressed her on “the quality of the fries.” She didn’t hold back. “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. She added that the burger itself wasn’t the problem, explaining the joint has “dry fries.”
Her fast-food tastes have clearly evolved, or at least grown more diplomatic. Earlier on her national tour, AOC made her first visit to a Culver’s in Michigan alongside left-wing Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed. She ordered a ButterBurger and cheese curds at the Midwestern chain, then gushed on social media, “My life has changed!”
Valadao, the Republican incumbent AOC is working to oust, has walked a tightrope in a district Trump carried by just 2% against Vice President Kamala Harris in 2024. The California lawmaker voted to impeach the president in 2021, but backed his Big Beautiful Bill in 2025. Democrats redrew the district to their advantage after Republicans made similar moves in Texas and other states.
AOC’s burger run marks the latest collision of progressive politics and populist food culture on the trail. The New York congresswoman has built a brand around working-class economic messaging, making fast-food stops a natural, if carefully staged, fit for her image. Whether the fries won her over this time went unremarked.
The nationwide push continues with the Nevada rally Saturday, where AOC and Horsford will try to mobilize early voters in a state that could prove decisive for House control.