Carville unloads on far-left Democrats over party infighting ahead of midterms

Campaign Carville unloads on far-left Democrats over party infighting ahead of midterms Comments: by Finya Swai - 07/11/26 12:22 PM ET Comments: Link copied by Finya Swai - 07/11/26 12:22 PM ET Comments: Link copied

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Democratic strategist James Carville tore into progressive and “insurgent” Democrats on Friday, arguing that inner-party division will lead to the same problems he believes helped the GOP elect President Trump in 2016.

In an interview with Politicon, the veteran strategist compared the current wave of left-wing primary challengers to previous progressive campaigns in 2016 that he argued fractured the Democratic coalition.

He pointed to a string of recent upsets from democratic socialists, including Brad Lander’s win over Rep. Dan Goldman (D-N.Y.), political newcomer Darializa Avila Chevalier’s defeat of five-term Rep. Adriano Espaillat (D-N.Y.) and Melat Kiros’ victory over incumbent Rep. Diana DeGette (D-Colo.).

When discussing the 2016 presidential election, Carville blamed former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s loss on “insurgent” liberal Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), who ran for the Democratic nomination. He called the election the “most catastrophic event of this century.”

“Bernie Sanders is the reason that Donald Trump is president,” he said.

He argued that the Vermont Independent’s lengthy primary challenge to Clinton swayed voters in battleground states such as Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin that establishment Democrats were no different from establishment Republicans, weakening her prospects in the general election.

The new wave of Democrats and progressives, he argued, are repeating the same mistakes that cost the party in the past.

“These people are so f—ing stupid I don’t know what to say about it,” said Carville, who previously served as a senior adviser to former President Clinton. “So now we have this idea that these insurgent Democrats. And what is their solution?”

“Is their solution to beat Republicans, to run against Republicans? No! Their solution is to beat Democrats like they’re part of the problem,” he continued. “You are part of the problem because you’re a f-king idiot!”

The strategist further pushed back on the notion that the issues faced in the country are both parties’ faults, contrasting Democratic and Republican records on issues including healthcare, the economy and Supreme Court appointments. He said Democrats expanded a lot of those policies while Republicans essentially dismantled those accomplishments.

He warned Democrats not to fall for the appeal of “false prophets” who sell themselves as an alternative to both parties, and to instead unify the party to prevent another upset ahead of the midterms.