AOC has endorsed Hakeem Jeffries to lead House Democrats and declined to back left-wing primary challengers, angering parts of her progressive base.

• AOC said she'll support Jeffries for Speaker if Democrats win back the House, citing a deal over New York public housing money.
• That housing reason looks like cover; the real driver is her trying to stay in good standing with the Democratic establishment and friendly outlets like CNN and the New York Times.
• She also refused to endorse progressive challengers like Claire Valdez and Daria Chevalier, who beat long-time incumbents anyway, breaking from the gate-crashing role that got her elected.
• The fight ties back to Israel: Jeffries and the incumbents took big money from the pro-Israel lobby, while most Democratic voters now sympathize more with Palestinians.
• After the backlash, AOC introduced an amendment to block US military aid to Israel unless it follows international law — seen as her covering her tracks under pressure.

Outlook: Expect AOC to keep tacking back toward progressives as 2028 and the midterms heat up, with Israel staying the dividing line in Democratic primaries.