Democrats are hoping they can win back the House majority this fall, but fighting within the party could complicate their plans.
A MARTÍNEZ, HOST:
Lawmakers in Congress have gone home for the Fourth of July recess. When they return, they will focus largely on this fall’s midterm elections.
MICHEL MARTIN, HOST:
This morning, we wanted to focus on the race for the House, where Democrats hope to win back the majority. In a few minutes, we’ll hear from someone at the heart of that effort, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries. But we’re going to begin with how fighting within the party could complicate Democrats’ plans.
MARTÍNEZ: NPR political reporter Elena Moore has been following this. So, Elena, primaries can expose tensions inside a party. But it seems for Democrats this year, it feels especially pronounced. Why is that?
ELENA MOORE, BYLINE: Well, Democrats have long been struggling with how to reenergize their base. And in some Democratic primaries this cycle, voters have been engaged, and they’re turning out because there’s deep frustration with the party establishment and politics as usual. And most recently, we’ve seen this dynamic play out in some high-profile upsets, where candidates in Denver and New York City have ousted sitting Democrats that they feel are not far enough to the left.
MARTÍNEZ: OK. So how did those upsets happen?
MOORE: Well, these are candidates who are running on a core set of issues. In large part, you know, they want the party to adopt ambitious economic policies to address the affordability crisis. They’re also talking a lot about money in politics and criticizing elected Democrats for taking donations from corporate PACs and pro-Israel lobbying groups. And those were key issues for Darializa Avila Chevalier. She’s a democratic socialist from New York who successfully challenged Adriano Espaillat, the chair of the powerful Congressional Hispanic Caucus in the House. And one thing, A, that made that such a big deal is Espaillat was backed by House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries. So his loss may underscore that frustration a lot of voters are feeling with the establishment right now.
MARTÍNEZ: OK. So if it appears to be a winning message – and Democrats want to win and need to win, I would assume – I mean, why aren’t they embracing more of these candidates?
MOORE: Well, some are. I mean, just yesterday, we saw Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez endorse Abdul El-Sayed in Michigan’s Democratic primary for Senate. We should say, El-Sayed is a progressive, not a democratic socialist. But he’s one of several candidates that’s being painted as too extreme by Republicans. And now that’s an attack that all Democrats are bracing for because even though Democrats broadly agree on key economic issues, they worry that other positions held by more leftist candidates will muddy their message.
Take Avila Chevalier, for example. She holds positions that make some Democrats nervous. For one, on her campaign website, she advocates for abolishing the, quote, “deportation machine.” She is also one of several candidates who has faced criticism that their opposition to Israel’s war in Gaza borders on antisemitism. And those are charges that these candidates deny.
MARTÍNEZ: All right. So how is all of this affecting the way Democratic leaders are thinking about November and maybe even past that?
MOORE: Well, it’s complicated because it’s clear that these candidates have tapped into something, A. You know, they’re doing a better job engaging voters that Democrats have struggled with, like young voters in these liberal cities. But at the same time, Democrats also need to win in more moderate places if they want to retake the House. So it’s a balancing act. They think focusing on the economy is a winning message, but they don’t want voters distracted by other issues, and that’s what Republicans are going to try to do. And if Democrats win, there’s the question of whether they can all work together.
MARTÍNEZ: That’s NPR political reporter Elena Moore. Thanks a lot.
MOORE: Thanks, A.
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