Abdul El-Sayed departs following a news conference at the Spirit of Detroit shortly after winning the Democratic nomination for U.S. Senate in Michigan, Wednesday, Aug. 5, 2026, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson) Democratic socialists are taking over the Democratic Party. Republicans benefit from Democrats’ escalating civil war in five ways.
The democratic socialist ascendancy within the Democratic Party is everywhere. As recently as 2016, it was just Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) who embodied it. However, his shockingly strong challenge to establishmentarian Hillary Clinton was just a hint of what was coming.
In 2018, the progressive Democrats known as “the Squad” swept into Congress and brought into their ranks two Democratic Socialists of America acolytes: Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) and Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.). More, such as Reps. Greg Casar (D-Texas) and Summer Lee (D-Pa.) would follow. In 2025, democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani won New York City’s mayoral race and Katie Wilson did the same in Seattle.
Going into Tuesday, three more had won House primaries that virtually guaranteed general election victories. Now, democratic socialist-endorsed Abdul El-Sayed has won Michigan’s Senate Democratic primary and Sanders-endorsed Donovan McKinney has knocked out incumbent Democrat Shri Thanedar in Michigan’s 13th District — with progressive Will Lawrence winning the party’s nod in the 7th District. More may occur up and down Democratic ballots nationwide, including Francesca Hong’s upcoming gubernatorial primary in Wisconsin.
Democratic socialists obviously benefit from these assaults on the Democratic Party. For five reasons, Republicans are even bigger winners.
First, regardless of outcomes, socialists confronting other Democrats in primaries splits the party. Prior to having their own candidates, Democratic Socialists of America were hostages within the party. The left-wing fringe had to support moderate Democrats, because these were the furthest left electable option. Democrats automatically got their votes without having to contend for them.
But now given different options, socialists do not have to support other Democrats in primaries. If they win primaries, more traditional Democrats may not support democratic socialists in the general election, and vice versa. In both cases, real battles are being waged across real ideological divides. Feelings are not necessarily healed after elections are over. Instead, they likely will only grow rawer.
Second, even if the two sides manage to come back together, money has been burned. The cost of these intraparty fights can be substantial — over $80 million in the Democrats’ Michigan Senate primary — and the money for both sides comes out of the Democrats’ limited fundraising base. The cash being burned fighting each other cannot be later used against Republicans in general elections or for close races where Democrats need an extra boost to win.
Third, if democratic socialists are nominated, they have a higher chance of losing general elections than establishment Democrats. This isn’t just conjecture. While socialism polls well among Democrats, with 66 percent viewing it positively according to Gallup, it doesn’t with independents at 38 percent and does terribly with Republicans at 14 percent. Democratic socialist nominees risk losing significant votes for the Democratic Party in general elections.
This doesn’t mean that there aren’t districts so deeply blue that Democrats still won’t win; two recent victories in the New York primaries are an example. It just means that if democratic socialists are nominated, they have a greater likelihood of losing. It also means that in comparison to a conventional Democrat, the party will likely need to expend more resources to bring them to victory; this means fewer resources for other races.
Fourth, if democratic socialists win nominations, they will pull the overall Democratic delegation further left once in office. This has already happened since the Squad’s entrance to Congress and the growing influence of Democrats’ large Progressive Caucus. The positions these members take, and force the entire Democratic caucus to vote on, can politically endanger party regulars.
Fifth, if democratic socialists win general elections, they force establishment media to cover their extremism. Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-Texas) is a case in point. She has been called out for extremism so publicly visible that the party had no choice but to push James Talarico for Texas’s Senate seat. Now, Talarico is every bit as extreme as Crockett; he just isn’t as known to be. Once they’re elected, Democrats can’t hide their crazy, and the media must cover it.
The repercussions from democratic socialists’ increasing incursions into the Democratic Party are not mutually exclusive. More than one scenario can apply in each democratic socialist’s run. And in virtually every instance, at least one of these negative scenarios applies.
Democratic socialists’ collateral damage to the Democratic Party is as real as it is mounting. Their assault on the party cannot end soon enough for moderate Democrats or last long enough for Republicans. For Democratic leadership, it is a recurring nightmare; for Republicans, it is the gift that keeps on giving.
J.T. Young is the author of the recent book, “Unprecedented Assault: How Big Government Unleashed America’s Socialist Left from RealClear Publishing.” Follow him on Substack.
Add as preferred source on Google Tags Abdul El-Sayed Bernie Sanders Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) Congressional Progressive Caucus Democratic Party democratic socialists Democratic Texas State Rep. James Talarico democrats Francesca Hong Hillary Clinton Katie Wilson michigan democratic primary Michigan Senate primary New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Rep. Greg Casar Rep. Jasmine Crockett Rep. Rashida Tlaib Rep. Summer Lee Republican Party republicans Sen. Bernie Sanders Shri Thanedar Summer Lee the squadCopyright 2026 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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