AOC’s Squad Reshuffle: Campaign Manager Quits, Interim Boss Has No Chill
KEY POINTS
- •Oliver Hidalgo-Wohlleben, AOC’s campaign manager since 2020, will depart in September citing burnout after relentless primaries.
- •Fiorella Bini became interim campaign manager in August, while Aya Saed and Tanushri Shankar-Ross returned to senior staff roles earlier this year.
- •Mike Casca, former Bernie Sanders aide and current chief of staff to AOC, has expanded responsibilities amid ongoing 2028 campaign preparations.
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) is playing musical chairs on her 2028 campaign team like it’s a Netflix drama nobody asked for. Oliver Hidalgo-Wohlleben—her campaign manager/senior adviser since the 2020 primaries—is bailing in September, claiming 'running nonstop' made him crave Netflix and chill over progressive revolution. Fiorella Bini swoops in as interim campaign manager, ready to juggle titles like a political Cirque du Soleil act. Meanwhile, Aya Saed returns from spring break as deputy chief of staff, and Tanushri Shankar-Ross makes a comeback from 2023 exile as senior adviser. Creative director Tyler Evans took a summer vacation too, leaving behind a LinkedIn farewell. Behind the scenes, 37-year-old Mike Casca—Bernie Sanders 2020 alum turned AOC’s chief of staff—gets a boss-level upgrade in duties. Throw in AOC’s friendship with Bernie, a progressive consulting firm called Middle Seat founded by Sanders croonies, and cameo appearances on More Perfect Union, and you’ve got a political soap opera ready for prime time… or at least late night Watergate-style memes.
Share the Story
(1 of 3)Watching AOC’s campaign reshuffle is like following your favorite reality show cast: same drama, new players, nobody really leaves, and the boss just got promoted again.
Oliver’s leaving after running nonstop since 2020? Sounds less 'burnout,' more 'escaped a political hostage situation.'
If political teams were boy bands, AOC just dropped two original members and launched a comeback tour with fresh faces.
Source: Axios | Published: 8/28/2026 | Author: Alex Thompson
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