Democrats Back Progressive Outsiders in 2026 Primaries as Midterms Near in 4 Months
Updated
Updated · The New York Times · Jul 6
Democrats Back Progressive Outsiders in 2026 Primaries as Midterms Near in 4 Months
1 articles · Updated · The New York Times · Jul 6
Summary
Four months before the midterms, Democratic primary voters are increasingly choosing outsider candidates who promise systemic change over establishment-backed rivals.
That shift reflects a party still reeling from its 2024 defeat and testing whether populist progressives can generate more energy than the incremental, good-government candidates it elevated in Trump’s first midterm.
Key results include a progressive Maine oysterman defeating a two-term governor in a Senate race, democratic socialists unseating House incumbents in New York and Colorado, and an outsider attorney general beating a sitting senator in Colorado’s governor race.
The trend has alarmed some Democratic leaders, who fear nominees with narrower general-election appeal or vulnerable positions could help Trump’s effort to paint the party as extremist.
Traditional Democrats are still winning in important contests, including Josh Turek in Iowa and high-profile Senate hopefuls Sherrod Brown in Ohio and Roy Cooper in North Carolina, leaving the party split between base energy and electability.