On Tuesday, self-identified “progressive capitalist” Abdul El-Sayed defeated moderate Democrat Congresswoman Haley Stevens for the Democratic nomination for the U.S. Senate in Michigan. The race was closely watched as Democrats need to hold the seat being vacated by retiring Senator Gary Peters to have a shot at controlling the U.S. Senate after the midterms. However, it is another indicator of the intraparty tug-of-war between progressives and establishment Democrats that has the potential to help Republicans keep control of the Senate and possibly the White House in 2028.
Republicans, of course, are reeling. The President has an approval rating of 33-36% depending on the poll. Democrats are more motivated this election cycle than Republicans based on multiple indicators. The very unpopular Iran War does not appear to be ending anytime soon. Just when Republicans think they have the upper hand because of a Democratic scandal, they have two of their own.
The GOP isn’t giving up quite yet. Instead, they are aggressively uttering the S-word – not that one, but “Socialist” and the C-word, Communist. Sure, calling Senator Bernie Sanders and Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez socialists is nothing new, but the string of significant election victories by Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) and progressives endorsed by DSA officials is providing Republicans with a potent “bogeyman.”
The election of New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani in November of last year was the highest-profile victory and not shocking, as NYC’s politics have never been a bellwether for the rest of the country. Then came Rashida Tlaib (D-Michigan), Donavan McKinney (D-Michigan), Melat Kiros (D-CO), Claire Valdez (D-NY), Darializa Avila Chevalier (D-NY), Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), and Chris Rabb (D-PA), who all won their primaries; some endorsed by the national DSA and others by local chapters. El-Sayed garnered the endorsements of Senator Sanders and the entire “Squad” (Cortes, Omar, Pressley, and Tlaib) and Ro Khanna, who also says he is a progressive capitalist, not a Democratic Socialist. The affiliation of El-Sayed with the left-wing of the Democratic Party is fodder for Republican Mike Rogers and puts the seat in jeopardy.
But why does it matter? For non-Republicans, aren’t El-Sayed and others still better than Trump?
The Silent Generation, Baby Boomers, and Gen Xers, which are considerably more likely to vote than Gen Y or Z, have stark memories of the Cold War and anti-Communist narratives of the day. What was ingrained in us is a belief that Communism is evil and that socialism is just a “baby-step” away from a Soviet style government and economy. In the case of Boomers and Xers, we are arguably the most materialistic and focused on working hard to build wealth. The idea of the government having more control over our lives, owning our property, sharing more of our hard-earned pay with “people who won’t work,” or stifling our ability to become a billionaire is antithetical to what we were taught – that’s until we become eligible for Social Security and Medicare. Then we don’t mind government control quite as much.
Besides the struggle for control inside the party, outwardly, with the help of Republicans, voters are unable to see much distinction between “progressive Capitalism” and Democratic Socialism. That may not matter as much in certain areas of the country, but in the states that Democrats must win, it could be the difference in control of both houses versus only one.
In Iowa, for example, Josh Turek, the Democratic nominee, is within 3 points of Republican nominee Ashley Hinson, according to a poll released by Emerson College today. In a Fox News poll from a month ago, Turek was leading by 4 points. Trump won Iowa in 2024 by 13 points, so it was not really expected to be in play. Perusing Turek’s website, it appears his team is guarding against far-left endorsements, except for Ro Khanna, but it may not matter. Continued victories by the Democratic Socialists and those they support can be exploited in Turek’s race and leveraged to demonstrate how his policies align with Sanders, Cortez, and others.
Speaker Mike Johnson’s Facebook post from yesterday displays an image of the Soviet Union flag with an added golden donkey. The caption reads:
“It’s no longer Republican vs. Democrat.
It’s not even common sense vs. crazy.
It’s America-loving vs. America-hating COMMUNISTS, and today’s Democrat Party has shown us who they really are.
Democrats want to destroy America. Republicans LOVE America and will FIGHT to keep the United States the greatest country in the history of the world.”
Democrats, Republicans, and Independents can agree that President Joe Biden was not very effective during his term. Many Democrats are rightly still angry with their party and the debacle that was the 2024 presidential election. What Biden did, though, was demonstrate in the 2020 election how to bring Independents and soft Republicans disgusted with Trump into the fold to win. If Democrats continue to push to the ideological left, then taking the Senate in 2026 will be out of reach and possibly reclaiming the presidency in 2028.