Global
The Democratic Party in the United States faces increasing internal challenges that cast a shadow over its aspirations to regain control of both houses of Congress, with the midterm elections approaching on November 3rd. As the legislative dominance race intensifies, deep divisions stemming from fierce primary competitions are emerging, threatening to undermine the party's efforts to unite its ranks and wrest power from the Republicans, to whom President Donald Trump belongs. These divisions are particularly evident in several swing states, where prominent party figures have often refrained from endorsing key candidates or have not actively participated in their election campaigns so far. For instance, in Maine, the governor has not yet announced her endorsement for the Democratic Senate candidate. In Texas, a House member declined to campaign for the local parliamentarian who defeated her in the Senate primary. In Michigan, centrist Democrats are avoiding public support for the party's progressive Senate candidate. In New York, Democratic Socialists winning primaries are sharply criticizing Congressional Democrats for joining Republicans in condemning socialism. In Florida, the party struggles to fully rally around its Senate candidate. Representative Summer Lee of Pennsylvania, a progressive Democrat seeking re-election, warned of these divisions' repercussions. She stated, "Whether you're a progressive, a mainstream Democrat, or a conservative Democrat, we all have a shared interest in getting every candidate across the finish line in November." Lee emphasized that if Democrats fail to unite and win at least one congressional chamber, "everything we work on after that will become more difficult." Securing a majority in the Senate is a primary objective for Democrats, and the best path involves defeating Republican Senator Susan Collins in Maine, who is widely considered the most vulnerable. However, Democratic candidate Troy Jackson is running without the endorsement of Governor Janet Mills, herself a former Senate candidate who had hoped to unseat Collins. Jim Melcher, a political science professor at the University of Maine at Farmington, commented, "I would say they're largely unified," adding, "the one notable element is that Janet Mills has not endorsed Troy Jackson." When contacted, the Maine Democratic Party did not directly address Mills' role but highlighted voter participation in candidate selection and grassroots activity as evidence of party unity. Devon Murphy-Anderson, the state party's executive director, affirmed, "Maine Democrats are united and focused on winning in November," adding, "Troy has spent his career defending working people in Maine, and there's real momentum behind his campaign to defeat Susan Collins." In Michigan, ongoing divisions center on Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed, a progressive figure with a slight lead over Republican Mike Rogers in polls within a crucial state for the party. Some Democrats have expressed dissatisfaction with El-Sayed's association with controversial media personality Hassan Pyker and his rhetoric on Israel and Jews; several prominent party figures have not yet endorsed him. Despite their heated primary competition for the Senate, U.S. Representative Haley Stevens of Michigan announced her full support for Abdul El-Sayed, and they embraced at a breakfast gathering the following day. An advisor to El-Sayed's campaign stated that both camps are in constant communication and consider Stevens "a key member of the coalition that will defeat Mike Rogers." However, it remains unclear whether Stevens will actively campaign with El-Sayed, and others within the party have openly criticized this situation. Divisions also manifested at the Capitol earlier this month when eight moderate Democrats joined Republicans to approve a resolution condemning socialism. This decision drew sharp criticism from two prominent Democratic Socialists in New York, Darializa Avila Chevalier and Claire Valdez, who are poised to win two U.S. House seats in November after defeating establishment-backed opponents in the primaries. In a statement, Chevalier asserted, "This resolution was directed straight at Democratic Socialists like me. We don't need a party that shies away from its history; we need a united party that takes on corporate power, gets money out of politics, and delivers for the working class." Furthermore, Florida is experiencing a similar division, where Democratic Senate candidate Angie Nixon, a Democratic Socialist, defeated better-funded retired Lieutenant Alex Vindman by more than nine percentage points in August. Despite Vindman's declaration of support for her "in the fight against" Republican Senator Ashley Moody, and his donation of $825,000 to aid Democratic candidates—including $400,000 to the state party for Nixon and other Florida Democrats—it remains uncertain whether the party supports Nixon to the same extent it supported Vindman. Derek Scott, chairman of the Escambia County Democratic Party in Florida, commented that the party's "Vote Blue no matter who" message for supporting Democratic candidates now appears to come with an exception since Nixon became the nominee. He added, "We still haven't seen Nikky Fried, the chair of the Florida Democratic Party, come out and unequivocally and completely support Angie Nixon." In contrast, a spokesperson for the Democratic Party stated that it is inaccurate to claim the party has not supported Nixon, noting that Fried recently joined Nixon and another statewide candidate at a joint press conference. The spokesperson added that the party is working closely with Nixon and is in constant communication with her team. For her part, Chaney Jackson, former organizing director for Nixon's campaign, expressed voters' frustration with party leaders who underestimated Nixon, noting that Democratic organizations often seek to increase Black voter turnout without building lasting support for Black-led campaigns. She explained, "They want our work, but they don't want our leadership. They want us to work like dogs while they take the credit."
