With U.S. midterm elections looming, Democrats are clashing over how to win
Gruelling primary season has further entrenched rift between progressive and centrist wings of the party
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season → loom → party
As the U.S. heads toward the midterm elections, a gruelling primary season has further entrenched a rift between the insurgent progressive and centrist wings of the Democratic Party.
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season → entrench → Party
The centrists argue candidates touting moderate and pragmatic policies is the path to flipping seats from Republican control.
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candidates → argue → control
While progressives say more uninspiring, establishment candidates will not galvanize a coalition of young people, the working class and diverse voters that could propel the party to victory.
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that → say → victory
"I don't even know how I could go about being sure which group has the most appeal," said Hans Noel, an associate professor of Government at Georgetown University and co-director of the Georgetown Democracy Initiative.
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Noel → know → Initiative
He says that while progressive candidates may alienate some voters who otherwise might have voted Democrat, they will also bring new voters to the party, including those who may not have voted at all.
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who → say → those
There are also intangible characteristics, like personal likeability, said Noel: "How do you add that all up and make a strong prediction?
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you → be → prediction
The primary season — where Democratic voters choose their candidates for upcoming general elections against Republicans — has given both sides wins, losses and lessons.
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voters → choose → wins
On Tuesday, in the key battleground state of Wisconsin progressives were dealt a blow when democratic voters narrowly chose moderate David Crowley in the primary for governor over self-described Democratic Socialist Francesca Hong, who was projected to win in the polls.
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who → deal → polls
Hong's campaign was plagued in its final days by past comments she made advocating for defunding the police and abolishing ICE and also saying it was time to "cancel Thanksgiving," calling it a celebration of colonialism.
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it → plague → colonialism
During the campaign, she backed away from all these comments, saying her views had evolved.
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views → back → comments
Hong ultimately wasn't endorsed by progressive flagbearers, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Sen. Bernie Sanders.
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Hong → endorse → flagbearers
Other races where moderates were able to hold progressive challengers at bay included those in Washington and Missouri.
In the swing state of Michigan earlier this month, however, progressive Addul El-Sayed, who campaigned with Ocasio-Cortez and Sanders, eked out a victory against centrist candidate Haley Stevens despite over $60 million being spent on her behalf, largely from super PACs.
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who → hold → PACs
El-Sayed, like other progressive candidates, campaigned on issues like medicare for all, getting money out of politics, taxing billionaire wealth and calling for an end to military aid for Israel.
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Sayed → campaign → Israel
He has also been praised for his communication skills.
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He → praise → skills
In response to the U.S. President Donald Trump calling him "full of shit," El-Sayed shot back: "At least I don't let mine go all over the Oval Office."
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mine → call → Office
Abdul El-Sayed wins Michigan's Democratic Senate primary in major victory for party's progressive wing
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El-Sayed's victory followed wins from progressive candidates who took on more moderate democrats in strongholds of New York and Colorado.
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who → win → York
Notably, in Maine, another battleground state, progressive Graham Platner delivered a win before he dropped out due to sexual assault allegations.
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he → deliver → allegations
Discontent among young voters
Bhaskar Sunkara, president of left-leaning magazine The Nation and former vice chair of the Democratic Socialists of America, says El-Sayed's win and others like it are a "huge check" on the Democratic Party.
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win → lean → Party
"Voters, particularly young voters, are really discontent with the leadership of the party … and just generally feel that the Democratic Party doesn't stand for anything.
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Party → feel → anything
Sunkara went on to say that El-Sayed is a better candidate than Hong with working-class voters.
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Sayed → go → voters
I think there is a way in which some candidates have been tarred with stances they had in 2019, 2020.
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they → think → 2019
Abdul never had that problem."
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Abdul → have → problem
Hong wasn't the only candidate backing off from past comments.
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Hong → back → comments
New York congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez made headlines earlier this week when asked about her past support for defunding the police.
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Cortez → make → police
"I have a local city councilman that has this saying: 'Woke 1 was crazy,' " she said before laughing.
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she → have → saying
Can progressives win key battleground states?
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progressives → win → states
While some in the progressive wing re-evaluate past positions that could alienate voters this election cycle, many moderate democrats continue to warn of liabilities in swing states.
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democrats → re → states
Fareed Zakaria, host of CNN's Sunday public affairs program GPS, cited Washington Post data to point out that while El-Sayed had the support of Michigan's most educated counties and college towns, his opponent did better in rural and lower-income areas.
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opponent → cite → areas
- Analysis
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"The left has the passion, but the middle still has the votes needed to win in general elections," Zakaria said.
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Zakaria → say → elections
Kate de Gruyter is the vice-president of communications at Third Way, a leading centrist democratic group that is spending $15 million between now and 2028 to discredit Democratic Socialism.
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that → lead → Socialism
"Their theory of the case is that they're somehow going to be able to persuade all these voters in the middle that they absolutely need to win in November to back their candidate.
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they → go → candidate
We've never seen that happen over the entirety of the Trump era," she said in an interview.
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she → see → interview
De Gruyter added that El-Sayed's decision to campaign with controversial left-wing streamer Hasan Piker as one example of "a whole universe of things that Republican ad makers are salivating at."
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makers → add → that
De Gruyter went on to suggest that the reason Democrat Kamala Harris lost the presidential election in 2024 was that she was seen as too lax on issues like immigration and plagued by stances she'd taken in the past on "transgender policy."
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she → go → policy
Democrats' autopsy of 2024 U.S. election blames Harris and 'identity politics' for loss
Kamala Harris says she 'might' make another presidential run in 2028
In the final weeks of the campaign.
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Trump's team ran an ad using a five-year old clip of Harris saying that "every transgender inmate in the prison system would have access" to taxpayer-funded gender transitions.
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inmate → run → transitions
"The idea that we should move further left makes no sense at all," she said.
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she → move → sense
The interesting thing is that while that can all be true, there are also plenty of arguments that suggest the opposite, according to Noel, the Georgetown associate professor.
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that → be → Noel
And it can also be true that Harris actually lost because she was too tied to the establishment and Biden.
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she → lose → establishment
…and 5 more, not listed.
