Progressives struggle to stem bleeding after brutal year
Progressives are struggling with recruitment, morale and fundraising as they seek a path forward heading into next year’s midterm elections.
While some on the left, such as Justice Democrats, have called for primary challenges to moderate Democrats in 2026, many progressives acknowledge the hurdles and lack of attention they face. Despite a couple of names floated, like former Rep. Cori Bush (D-Mo.) who is believed to be considering another House bid, liberals are more disorganized about their potential challenger roster. They’re also contending with waning donor enthusiasm.
All together, these predicaments paint a picture of a left wing in trouble, with little idea of how to repair itself after a damaging year.
“I don’t think there’s a single human, including myself, that honestly knows what to do next,” said a longtime Democratic strategist who’s worked on progressive campaigns. “Do I want to do this anymore? How strategic can I really be?”
“If I’m any bit intelligent in those rooms, I’m saying: I don’t f-----g know,” the strategist said.
The bewilderment Democrats face is not confined to the left. Many moderates admit publicly and privately that they aren't sure how to reinvigorate their brand after losing to President Trump and in key races for control of Congress. There’s a desire to do things totally differently, but no set blueprint to prevent future failures.
Progressives feel the pressure more acutely. Often finding themselves in the crosshairs of both Republicans and moderate Democrats, strategists and organizers are aware that they have to protect their members from the GOP’s wide-ranging attacks and big money spending, and from centrists in their own party who still see them as a scourge each election cycle.
But they also feel a need to defend their ideology, candidates and entire wing against unfavorable conditions. From Republicans, progressives are facing down hundreds of millions of projected dollars from billionaires like Elon Musk, who pledged to invest heavily in Democratic primaries and wipe out those who strongly oppose Trump. He’s taken a particular interest in “squad” members who are typically among the most vulnerable targets of outside spending in blue districts.
Bush, one of the most outspoken members who lost her reelection bid last cycle, is considering her next act, a source close to her said. Likewise, a former senior aide to Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) is challenging longtime former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), and fellow frequent target of the right, Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.), is considering running for the Senate in the seat expected to be vacated by Sen. Tina Smith (D-Minn.).
But there’s a sense of pessimism among those usually fired up, who see a resurgence of progressivism being challenging to pull off. Trump and Elon Musk, the president’s wealthy and influential ally who has significantly disrupted the daily functioning of the federal government, are incentivized to block any leftist momentum. Centrist Democrats, meanwhile, are focused on reinvigorating their image in a way that bypasses the once-trendy themes of identity and culture.
Progressives have delivered a generally meek response to the situation in what’s becoming a departure from their pugnacious style of politics. They see the expected influx of money from Republicans as inevitable and many don’t believe their party is ready or willing to flush out their own corporate funding sources internally.
“It’s frustrating,” said Angelo Greco, a former campaign staffer for Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) who works with several progressive election organizations. “Dems can and should do way more to push back on corporate money in their primaries.”
The money debate has infuriated progressives from Sanders down to the grassroots, who are still urging their candidates and Democratic committees to say outright that they won’t accept corporate donations. Few are holding their breath.
“There’s almost no chance the DNC/DCCC would do that,” said Cenk Uygur, a progressive commentator who briefly challenged former President Biden for the Democratic presidential nomination last year. “They are addicted to corporate money. That’s what’s ruined the party.”
“If you asked a Democratic leader or consultant, ‘you get a billion dollars in corporate contributions but lose an important race or you get almost nothing but win the race,’ they would all pick losing the race,” added Uygur. “A lot of that money goes straight into their pocket.”
For now, a variety of liberal organizations are keeping a low profile and being coy about their potential roster of challengers. The groups that would normally be ramping up efforts to recruit and help build up progressive primary campaigns are focusing their attention against Musk in particular rather than fellow Democrats. Indivisible, a leading progressive shop, has taken aim at him at the most immediate threat, due to his capacity to spend against their interests. A spokesperson for the group said that they will be “announcing plans within the week for how we’ll be engaging in the House specials,” when asked about the current progressive primary strategy.
Justice Democrats, the most active group in the left-wing recruitment space, additionally did not disclose specific targets, but insists they’re focused on taking aim at outsized spending.
“When we talk to communities across the country, it’s the corporate-backed career politicians we hear the most complaints about,” said Usamah Andrabi, the group’s communications director. The desire for more working-class representation is there, Andrabi says, but it’s tricky to turn that interest into wins against a well-equipped opposition.
“In just the last month, we have received hundreds of nominations for congressional districts across the country,” he said, arguing that he’s seen an “overwhelming appetite” from people across the country to elect more leaders focused on economic populism and mobility for Americans.
Still, the slower start signals a still-figuring-things-out mindset that is happening among Democrats in both wings of the party. Operatives in charge of messaging and corralling donors express feeling uncertain about the big picture plan for the midterms. Talk about the next presidential cycle is met with sighs or is shut down entirely.
Meanwhile, Trump’s lightning-speed approach to purging agencies of staffers as a purported cost-saving tactic has caused progressives to focus more on the wealth inequality happening in public view. Some on the left have tried to counter Trump’s budding administration by introducing populist economic rhetoric into the conversation on their side. Lawmakers going down that path are attempting to convince individuals who voted for Trump on the basis of the economy that they have a better prescription for their financial concerns.
That focus, in the first 100 days of Trump’s second White House term, has diverted attention from the search and propping up of more progressives to compete against moderate Democrats. Liberals are effectively trying to catch up to speed like the rest of the party.
“This isn’t about left or right,” Andrabi said. “It’s about finding leaders who are willing to unite the bottom against the top, wealthy few.”
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