“Vote Blue no Matter Who” has become one of the Democratic Party’s defining slogans, but recent primary elections suggest that Democratic voters want more than just candidates to support: they want changes in the type of policy they bring to Congress.
If the Democrats want to build winning coalitions, they need to respect the growing support for progressive candidates within their own party. Progressive candidates have been campaigning on issues like affordable healthcare, affordability and higher wages. While the Left-wing side of the party was once seen as a thorn in the side of the establishment, recent primary results suggest many Democrats are increasingly supporting progressive policies.
Progressive Democrats have been fighting for their platform since Bernie Sanders’ presidential campaigns in 2016 and 2020, in which more moderate establishment candidates won the Democratic nomination.
The movement continued after Sanders campaigns, in the 2018 midterm elections, candidates like Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and other progressive members of what would become known as “The Squad” defeated establishment backed opponents and helped bring progressive policies such as Medicare for All and the Green New Deal into the national spotlight.
A breakthrough happened in the 2025 New York City Democratic Mayoral Primary, in which Zohran Mamdani — a longtime member of the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) — won the primary in a major upset against former Governor Andrew Cuomo. On election night, Cuomo vowed to support the Democratic nominee but ultimately launched an independent bid against Mamdani. Cuomo’s long-shot bid for the mayor’s mansion came after many of his donors pushed him to stay in the race against his party’s wishes.
Despite this, Mamdani was elected, marking a shift in how well Democratic progressive campaigns worked ahead of the contentious 2026 midterms. The victory of a Democratic Socialist in the biggest U.S. city showed that voters were tired of the ideological status quo. Donors and party figures to fought for their preferred candidates. And the establishment did not anticipate what the voters wanted within their own party.
While New York was the clearest success for Progressive Democrats, nationwide primary results show that many Democratic voters want to put progressives with substantive policy agendas into power. In March, Lieutenant Governor of Illinois Juliana Stratton, a champion of Medicare for All and a $25 federal minimum wage, won the Illinois Senate primary. April saw Analilia Mejia, a progressive activist, win in New Jersey’s 11th congressional district special election.
All eyes were on New York again as Brad Lander, Darializa Avila Chevalier, and Claire Valdeze won against powerful incumbents this June. The huge upsets show how powerful the DSA movement is growing. In Colorado, Melat Kiros — another DSA candidate — had a decisive victory over the 15-term incumbent Diana DeGette. The stunning defeat was yet another sign that incumbency does not hold the same weight it once did. Wins don’t necessarily mean they want a socialist party. But there is certainly a demand for candidates who prioritize affordability, healthcare and economic reform over defending the party establishment.
These results shouldn’t be all that shocking. All Americans, regardless of political affiliation, have been struggling with affordability, healthcare costs and overall economic uncertainty. Yet the Democratic Party’s message remains focused on President Donald Trump’s Republican Party, conserving their establishment’s status quo rather than laying out a platform that addresses those concerns. For many voters, returning to the pre-Trump normal is not enough. They want candidates to offer solutions like affordable housing and tax policies friendly to the middle class.
Political parties are meant to accurately represent blocks of voters. Primaries are how voters pick the agenda they want to see in Congress. Most of these victories are happening in safe Democratic districts, so they should not be read as a broader electorate shift to the left. They are, however, a sign that primary voters are expecting more from their candidates. It should be an indicator to Democratic leadership about what their voters want, rather than ignored as isolated races.
Democrats need to recognize that voters are asking for a different direction. Unity is not a one-way street, and if Democrats want to win elections and actually help all Americans, they need to start by listening to their own voters.
Diego Ruiz-Sagrero is an Opinion Intern for the summer 2026 quarter. He can be reached at druizsag@uci.edu.
Edited by Ruby Goodwin and Zara Baker
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