James Stevens calls himself a democratic socialist.
asserted
Stevens → call → himself
The 24-year-old film student is the type of Democrat who recalls watching the provocative left-wing internet commentator Hasan Piker six years ago, "before he became relevant in politics".
asserted
he → recall → politics
Last year, James flew up from his home in Georgia to New York City to canvass for Zohran Mamdani's mayoral campaign.
asserted
James → fly → campaign
She grew up Republican then switched to the Democratic Party after seeing Barack Obama on Oprah.
asserted
She → grow → Oprah
These days, she's a loyal party woman, championing reproductive rights, attending campaign rallies and donating to local candidates.
asserted
she → champion → candidates
Both mother and son want Democrats to win control of Congress at next Tuesday's midterm elections, but they don't entirely agree on what they want their Democratic Party to be.
asserted
Party → want → elections
"I'm very sick of how compromising Democrats are to Republican policies that don't benefit a large group of people," James told me, as his mother looked on.
asserted
mother → benefit → me
"There needs to be a bold vision for the Democrats," he says, arguing that the party should adopt policies affiliated with the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA), a left-wing splinter group.
asserted
party → need → America
In his view, that means anti-Zionism, getting corporate money out of politics, and government-run free healthcare.
asserted
that → mean → politics
The conventional wisdom in Washington is that Democrats are well-positioned to take control of the House, and possibly even the Senate, after the vote next week.
uncertain
Democrats → position → vote
Underlying conditions are in Democrats' favour – Republican US President Donald Trump's approval rating is at a record low for a president heading into a midterm, comparable to George W Bush in his final term in 2006; the Iran war still isn't over and it's proving unpopular with American voters; and this has led to higher gas prices, which are frustrating an electorate that is already worried about the cost of living.
asserted
that → head → living
Traditionally, the midterms are a referendum on a sitting president.
asserted
midterms → sit → president
In 18 of the last 20 US midterm elections, the party in power has lost seats in the House.
asserted
party → lose → House
The Real Clear Politics polling average shows the American public sees the Democrats as only marginally better than the Republicans.
asserted
public → show → Republicans
Recent polls show the Democratic Party still has a net unfavourability rating among Americans.
asserted
Party → show → Americans
Political analysts say that if the Republicans manage to buck the trend and survive these midterms, one key reason is that the Democratic Party (or the Democratic brand) is disliked by a majority of American voters too.
asserted
Party → say → voters
Behind the headlines of which party or which candidates win this Tuesday, there's also a story this election season about Democratic identity.
asserted
party → win → identity
This is a fight between institutionalists and reformists, of people who want incremental change and those who demand root-and-branch transformation.
asserted
who → want → transformation
The question is, who will win out in the long run?
asserted
who → win → run
I've covered every national US election in the past dozen years and this is an unusual one.
asserted
this → cover → years
When I was out interviewing voters ahead of the 2018 midterms during Donald Trump's first term, I was struck by how united many Democratic voters were in their opposition to the president.
asserted
voters → interview → president
This time, I've noticed that under the facade of unity, there's a brewing fight.
asserted
I → notice → unity
There are persistent questions about what the Democratic Party stands for, and these divides erupted during the primaries this midterm cycle.
asserted
divides → be → primaries
"The identity of the party is pretty cloudy," said Ruy Teixeira, a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, a centre-right think tank.
asserted
Teixeira → say → Institute
"It's all centred on reaction to the Trump administration and taking advantage of what is a thermostatic reaction against the administration...
asserted
what → centre → administration
Part of the reason for this Democratic infighting is that the party never had a chance to have this fight during the 2024 presidential race, with the sudden departure of Joe Biden months before the election and nomination of Kamala Harris.
asserted
party → have → Harris
Analysts agree that if Democrats make big wins on election night, it still won't answer deeper, unresolved questions as they try to keep their big tent together to corral votes in Congress or eye the 2028 presidency.
asserted
they → agree → presidency
But operatives and analysts say it's also a divide between institutionalists and those who want to completely upend the existing institution.
asserted
who → say → institution
Both feel they have a better read on what voters genuinely want.
asserted
voters → feel → what
Usamah Andrabi, of the Justice Democrats, a prominent left-wing group, blames the Democratic establishment for ushering in a Republican Congress and president.
asserted
Andrabi → blame → Congress
"And so I think the people who led us into this mess are simply not gonna be the ones who lead us out of it," he told me.
asserted
he → think → me
"The affordability crisis… is a massive one, and it's not going to be resolved by tinkering at the margins," he added.
asserted
he → go → margins
Instead, he insists, it'll be solved through policies like universal healthcare and childcare, and redistributing money by cutting the Pentagon's budget to stop "endless wars".
asserted
it → insist → wars
His organisation sprang up in 2017 to recruit and support the congressional members who became known as "the Squad", the furthest-left faction in the House, which includes members such as Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Ilhan Omar.
asserted
which → spring → Cortez
Healthcare will be one of the main arenas in which this fight is likely to play out, says Carrie Dann, managing editor of the Cook Political Report, a nonpartisan newsletter that forecasts the competitiveness of races.
asserted
that → play → races
"There is a lot of appetite for, at the very least, more transparency, more understanding of why healthcare costs are so high," said Dann.
asserted
Dann → be → transparency
" Take a bad step, break your leg, and a huge swathe of Americans would see their worlds turned upside down by that because of the healthcare system as it is."
asserted
it → take → system
Several Democratic candidates this election cycle have outlined ideas to lower "out-of-pocket" costs for those who already have health insurance - being hit with additional costs on top of regular insurance payments is a common feature of the American healthcare system.
asserted
hit → outline → system
But there's another flank of the party that is fed up with incremental changes and wants a national healthcare system that is free at the point of use - Medicare for All.
asserted
that → be → All
Recent polling suggests a majority of Democrats favour this kind of healthcare system, but a majority of Republicans oppose it.
uncertain
majority → suggest → it
…and 57 more, not listed.
The Aporia
