Establishment Democrats: U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., Michigan Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed, and U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-VT. join hands together following a campaign rally last month in Detroit, Michigan.

Politics

The Myth of the Establishment Democrat

by David Masciotra August 27, 2026August 27, 2026

Establishment is used as a description and even a slur, but it’s really just misleading.

Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., left, and Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., right, speak during a round table discussion on the high cost of housing, on Capitol Hill, January 7, 2026, in Washington.

Politics

Democratic Voters Are Boiling Mad at the Democratic Establishment, and It’s Ridiculous

by Bill Scher August 4, 2026August 10, 2026

The opposition party is on an electoral roll yet is pilloried for not fighting Donald Trump hard enough.

U.S. Senate Democratic primary candidates Abdul El-Sayed and Rep. Haley Stevens debate on July 27, 2026, in Southfield, Michigan.

Politics

How Left Will Democrats Go In 2028? That Depends on 2026

by Bill Scher July 31, 2026August 10, 2026

Democratic voters, long partial to candidates who show a capacity for bipartisan compromise over ideological purity, may be changing.

Evan Barker talks to Bernie Sanders, who ran for the Democratic Party’s nomination in 2016.

Books

Evan Barker’s Magical Mystery Tour

by Nate Weisberg July 28, 2026August 10, 2026

The ex-operative exposes progressive follies, but her account of moving from Bernie supporter to Trump voter is dazed and confused.

Jane Kim, a former San Francisco City Supervisor, topped California's June insurance commissioner primary on a platform of public disaster insurance.

Politics

Can a Bernie-Backed Populist Fix California’s Home Insurance Crisis?

by Kainoa Lowman July 13, 2026July 13, 2026

As insurers flee wildfire risk, the leading candidate for insurance commissioner campaigns on “Natural Disaster Insurance for All,” but even fellow progressives are skeptical.

Graham Platner, Democratic candidate for US Senate, speaks to the media in Bangor, Maine.

Politics

Graham Platner and the Working-Class Fetish

by Matthew Cooper July 7, 2026July 8, 2026

This bloc won’t be wooed by cosplay and pandering.

DSA's recent string of left-wing primary upsets has been framed as a revolt against Democratic moderates. But the defeated were progressives.

Politics

The Fight in the Democratic Party Is Not Left vs. Center, But Left vs. Left

by Bill Scher July 2, 2026July 1, 2026

The recent string of primary victories from left-wing insurgents are not ushering out moderates, but fellow progressives.

Abdul El-Sayed, Mallory McMorrow, and Haley Stevens are battling for Michigan’s Democratic Senate nomination, but the bruising fight may be helping Republican Mike Rogers most.

Politics

Michigan’s Democratic Senate Primary Needs a Non-Aggression Pact

by Bill Scher May 15, 2026May 14, 2026

Polls show the three-way slugfest between Abdul El-Sayed, Mallory McMorrow, and Haley Stevens is dragging them all down and creating a pickup opportunity for the GOP.