The country is in bad shape right now, and we know whose fault it is. However, blame cannot solely be levied on the Trump administration. There is a group of people whose primary responsibility is opposing the many actions that are objectively harmful to the well-being of this county: the Democratic Party.
As the primary opposition, Democrats have been woefully insufficient when it comes to upholding the Constitution and protecting the future of our country. From House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries questioning what leverage the Democratic Party has (hint: it’s more than you think) to Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer throwing away a prime piece of leverage by supporting Elon Musk and the Republicans’ “dirty” continuing resolution to fund the government, the Democratic Party’s old guard has shown that it is not up for this moment and what comes next. This leaves the American people with no choice but to primary every Democrat they can.
The Democratic Party has very clearly fallen flat in the early aughts of this current administration, and while there have been a few bright spots of resistance, like Sen. Van Hollen demanding and receiving a meeting with the wrongfully abducted and deported Kilmar Abrego Garcia, the feeling from the Democratic Party base is largely one of severe disappointment. Except for one person.
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s popularity with the Democratic Party base is at an all-time high. The response to her and Sen. Bernie Sanders’ Fighting Oligarchy Tour has been immense. A recent poll shows that A.O.C. would beat Chuck Schumer in a Democratic primary if she chose to contest his Senate seat in 2026, a development that would have seemed impossible last November. On top of that, she’s coming off of her best fundraising month to date having pulled in over 9 million dollars in small donations in an off-cycle year, an impressive feat for any politician.
Why exactly is A.O.C. pulling ahead? It’s because she represents a vision for this country that is a true alternative to the status quo. There’s a reason she chose to go on tour with Bernie Sanders, whose presidential runs in 2016 and 2020 were built on grassroots support and a vision for the country that was going to build off of the New Deal movement. Sanders, too, represents a version of this country that, if offered, would have led people away from the false promises of the current administration. In fact, many previous Sanders detractors have now changed their tune in the face of where America is, four years after his last campaign for the presidency.
But why does this moment call for primary-ing sitting Democrats? Wouldn’t sitting Democrats opt to adopt these policies if they are so popular? Even if sitting Democrats show signs of budging, they are far too entrenched in their ways to act quickly enough to meet the moment we have found ourselves in.
Take the battle for ranking member on the House Oversight Committee. A.O.C. made a bid for this position, and given her adept communication skills, being selected would have made her an integral part of the “resistance.” Instead, the sitting Democratic establishment backed 74-year-old Rep. Gerry Connolly, who has been unable to make a name for himself in the current media environment.
Aside from the failings of sitting Democrats, a key part of the democratic process is that our representatives need to earn our vote, and representatives who have held seats for decades without any opposition fly in the face of this notion. Applying pressure through primaries can force growth from our elected officials. Many of the Biden administration’s best domestic policies came from concessions to Sanders’ agenda, and A.O.C.’s own political journey began by primarying a 20-year Democratic incumbent. One could only imagine what the party would look like if her predecessor, Joe Crowley, stayed in that seat uncontested.
A handful of candidates have already commenced this movement. Saikat Chakrabarti, former chief of staff for A.O.C. and a Bernie 2016 alum, has launched a primary campaign in none other than Nancy Pelosi’s congressional district. The former speaker of the House can be commended for some of her actions, notably her role in pressuring Joe Biden to step down due to concerns about his age after his disastrous July presidential debate.
But it is worth noting that Biden is three years younger than Pelosi. One must ask why she still needs to be in Congress, in the place of someone who can message more adeptly to younger voters and is better able to fight back against this administration. In Illinois, leftist political commentator Kat Abu recently launched a primary campaign in the 9th District, taking on an incumbent who has held the seat longer than Abughazaleh has been alive. Many other young candidates disaffected with the party’s poor performance in 2024 have recently launched campaigns, and more are likely on the way. Crucially, this call has been taken up even by leaders of the D.N.C. Activist and recently elected D.N.C. Vice Chair has openly stated that his group, “Leaders We Deserve,” will be targeting certain incumbents.
An exodus of party leaders may seem great, but where does it all lead? The Republican Party went through something of an exodus only about a decade and a half ago, one that has been used as an analogue to what may happen to the Democrats. The Tea Party was defined originally by two points: anger and hatred towards the opposing party’s sitting president and vague populist outrage. It took them four years and three election cycles to define themselves, but once established, their movement captured the entire party.
The Democrats don’t have four years and three election cycles. They need a vision immediately. Luckily, one is already developed. Chakrabarti has asserted that this current unrest needs to coalesce around a portfolio of policies focused on rebuilding our industrial base (or the modern equivalent) while expanding our safety net and improving the lives of Americans, a la the New Dealers of the 1930s. He stated on a podcast recently that the upper bounds of what we should aim for is by 2028 to have a presidential candidate, alongside 100 congressional candidates, all of whom represent this vision. But in order for this to be achieved, the base cannot relent.
There will likely be Democratic gains in the midterms, some that may even come without any effort from the Democrats. That will not be enough. The party can no longer remain dormant, and change is necessary. The core of the party has remained stagnant essentially since the Clinton years. Representative democracy isn’t supposed to do that. The entire point is to ensure that we are represented accurately through democratic means.
When the representation is no longer accurate, the democratic process must step in to establish more accurate representation. If a party remains as stubborn as the Democrats have, it’s a startling sign regarding the health of our democracy. Parties are meant to work for their constituencies and to represent them to the best of their means. It is only fair to make them earn your support.
The Zeitgeist aims to publish ideas worth discussing. The views presented are solely those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect the views of the editorial board.
