Scoop: Josh Shapiro quietly tries to derail AOC-backed progressive House candidate (axios.com)

Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro is quietly trying to derail a left-wing congressional candidate championed by New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez , Axios has learned. Why it matters: The May 19 primary is shaping up as an early test of strength for the two potential 2028 presidential campaign rivals. The contest is also a microcosm of the nationwide civil war between the Democratic Party's liberal and centrist wings. Driving the news: Ocasio-Cortez has endorsed Chris Rabb, a progressive firebrand state lawmaker from Philadelphia who's running for a U.S. House seat in a competitive, three-way Democratic primary. Ocasio-Cortez is rumored to be visiting Philadelphia this month to campaign for Rabb. She has also fundraised for Rabb and posted on social media in support of him. Shapiro has not been publicly active in the race, as AOC has. But Shapiro and his team have privately told allies that he disapproves of Rabb and has taken steps to block his path, according to three people familiar with the discussions. Rabb has been a thorn in Shapiro's side for years. In January, he wrote on Instagram , "Governor Shapiro, stop state collaboration with ICE!" Rabb spoke at a protest that day aimed at pushing Shapiro, a moderate, to the left on his approach toward Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The rally was staged outside Shapiro's first stop on his book tour. That level of confrontation is rarely seen from Democratic state legislators toward the governor. Rabb also turned heads in 2022 when he didn't immediately shoot down calls from his supporters to challenge Shapiro in that year's gubernatorial primary. In the end, Rabb didn't run. Behind the scenes: Shapiro has privately advised Philadelphia's building trades unions to avoid inadvertently helping Rabb, the lone progressive in the race, by attacking one of his center-left opponents, two of our sources told us. The sources said Shapiro suggested that the building trades, which are backing another candidate, Sharif Street, avoid running negative ads against a third contender, Ala Stanford. Street and Stanford are seen as traditional Democrats who share similar voters. Some political insiders think Rabb could be a headache for a potential Shapiro 2028 campaign if he wins — because Rabb is likely to continue to clash with the governor, only on a larger stage. "Chris is an actual problem for [Shapiro] for what he wants to be when he grows up," said one Pennsylvania Democratic strategist. Rabb has called AOC "the progressive standard bearer of this generation." What we're watching: Shapiro hasn't officially endorsed a candidate in the primary, and some Democrats think he is unlikely to do so given the political cross-pressures he's facing. Shapiro ally Rep. Dwight Evans (D-Pa.) is backing Stanford, while many of the governor's friends in labor support Street. To make matters more complicated, Shapiro has a strained history with Street. The other side: Despite his differences with Rabb, Shapiro has allian