Progressive candidates backed by Democratic Socialists of America and Justice Democrats are reshaping Democratic Party primary races in 2026, with about two-thirds of House candidates endorsed by these groups winning their primaries so far. The movement has produced high-profile victories including Abdul El-Sayed’s win in Michigan’s Senate primary and the defeat of three congressional incumbents, signaling an energized left wing pushing the party toward more aggressive stances on healthcare, workers’ rights, and U.S. foreign policy.
The scale of progressive primary victories has drawn comparisons to the 2010 Tea Party wave that reshaped Republican politics. However, analysts say the comparison understates the differences: the Tea Party fielded 138 candidates for the House and Senate that year, while today’s progressive movement is far more concentrated. Of 282 Democratic Socialists of America-endorsed candidates identified across all offices, only 64 ran for Congress, according to research from the Brookings Institution released this week.
Among those 282 DSA-endorsed candidates overall, 123 won their primaries while 110 lost, giving the movement a roughly 53 percent win rate. But the wins are heavily concentrated in deep-blue districts already favoring Democrats. Brookings found that only 10 DSA-backed candidates won in districts with a Cook Partisan Voter Index less competitive than D+10, meaning progressives are “turning blue places even bluer” rather than flipping competitive seats, according to David de la Fuente, deputy director for politics and research at Third Way, a centrist Democratic think tank.
Justice Democrats, one of the two prominent leftist groups, has deliberately focused on deep-blue districts to reshape the party’s base before pursuing purple seats. “Our focus is on ensuring that the representatives of the deepest, most Democratic districts actually represent the base of this party,” Justice Democrats’ communications director Usamah Andrabi said.
The primary victories began in New York’s June elections, where three insurgent candidates won congressional races. Darializa Avila Chevalier defeated incumbent Rep. Adriano Espaillat in the 13th District, while Claire Valdez and Brad Lander won in the 7th and 10th districts respectively. By early August, progressive victories had spread to Colorado, where democratic socialist Melat Kiros defeated a 15-term incumbent, and to Michigan, where Abdul El-Sayed narrowly won the Democratic Senate nomination.
Despite the headline-grabbing wins, the progressive movement faces questions about its broader viability. Some progressive nominees have already begun distancing themselves from more radical positions ahead of the general election. Darializa Avila Chevalier removed social media posts praising communism and Marxism, saying she had “grown considerably” since making those statements. Abdul El-Sayed has emphasized he is not a member of DSA and does not identify as a socialist, seeking to build what he calls a “big tent” for Democrats.
Public sentiment on democratic socialism itself appears to be shifting. A CBS News poll found that about half of Democrats view the democratic socialist label positively, and 58 percent have a favorable impression of socialism. A Washington Post-Ipsos poll found three-quarters of Democrats said they would be open to supporting a democratic socialist candidate for president.
The movement’s ultimate impact will depend on November’s general election results. If progressive nominees win in swing districts, their influence within the party will strengthen. If they lose races Democrats might otherwise have won, their mainstream presence could diminish. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries acknowledged the shift in a speech at the National Association of Black Journalists convention in Atlanta last week, saying “we are in an important moment of generational change,” though he also stated he does not support the DSA agenda of defunding police, open borders, and abolishing the Senate.
Sources
- CBS News — analysis of two-thirds of House candidates endorsed by Justice Democrats and DSA winning primaries, details of progressive primary victories across multiple states
- Brookings Institution — comprehensive study of 282 DSA-endorsed candidates showing 123 primary wins, concentration in deep-blue districts, comparison to Tea Party movement
- USA Today — comparison of 2010 Tea Party movement (139 candidates) to 2026 progressive movement
- PBS News Hour — coverage of progressive victories in Colorado and other states
