A nationwide campaign tour can work up quite an appetite—especially when the mission is helping progressive candidates win seats across the country.
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez made a brief stop at In-N-Out after an event in Bakersfield, California, where she was campaigning as part of a broader effort to help Democrats take control of the U.S. House.
The New York Democrat visited the popular West Coast chain in Delano on Friday. She later walked out smiling, carrying a red, white and yellow bag emblazoned with the restaurant’s unmistakable logo.
Inside, Ocasio-Cortez waited in line with her arms folded. Once outside, she offered a brief wave to photographers as members of her security detail escorted her away.
The burger run came after Ocasio-Cortez spent roughly 15 minutes campaigning for Democrat Randy Villegas, who is trying to unseat Rep. David Valadao, a Republican representing a heavily Hispanic California district. Democrats redrew the district to improve their chances after Republicans pursued similar redistricting efforts in Texas and elsewhere.
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Valadao has sought to separate himself from President Trump in a district Trump carried by only 2% over Vice President Kamala Harris in 2024. The California lawmaker voted to impeach Trump in 2021 but supported the president’s “Big Beautiful Bill” in 2025.
Ocasio-Cortez’s campaign schedule was far from over. She was set to head to 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 stop followed another fast-food detour during Ocasio-Cortez’s recent visit to Michigan, where she made her first trip to Culver’s with left-wing Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed. After ordering a ButterBurger and cheese curds, she declared: “My life has changed!”
Her enthusiasm for In-N-Out has not always been as strong. During another closely contested midterm cycle in 2022, Pod Save America host Jon Lovett asked her directly 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 not aimed at the burgers, but at what she called the restaurant’s “dry fries.”