Doug Bauman ‘29
Staff Writer
I am a strong believer that political parties are often defined by their loudest voices, even when those voices don’t represent the full range of beliefs held by its members. This is especially true within the Democratic party as we progress through the midterm election season. Throughout this election cycle, the progressive and democratic socialist wings of the party have gained a much larger national presence, which is changing the conversation about what the Democratic party actually stands for and where it should go in the future. This growing tension could cause the Democrats to waste an incredible opportunity to win back moderate and independent voters, build a strong national coalition, and position themselves to become the dominant party in American politics for the next decade.
I believe that a key example of this internal division, which deserves much more attention, is the pledge introduced by Democratic Congressmen Tom Suozzi of New York and Adam Gray of California called “The Promise to America.” The main purpose of this pledge was to make it clear that the Democratic Party still has room for moderate voices, proudly stating “we’re capitalists, not socialists,” while emphasizing fiscal responsibility, effective government, public safety, and support for a capitalist system.
At a time when democratic socialism has become increasingly prominent within the Democratic party, I believe the pledge was an attempt by moderate Democrats to push back against that socialist label. Out of 214 Democrats in the House of Representatives, only ten members signed the pledge. That means fewer than five percent of them were actually willing to publicly denounce the socialist leaning wing of the party. This shouldn’t be a controversial pledge for more members of the party to get behind. Instead, this lack of support just shows how hesitant establishment Democrats actually are to take a definitive stance on this issue. It appears that many party members are content to wait and see which direction proves more advantageous for them individually, rather than looking at the well-being of the party as a whole.
If the Democrats want to build a coalition, they need to determine if leaning into their democratic socialist wing actually helps gain a broader voter base, or if it will scare the more moderate and the independent voter block. In my view, it will scare a lot more voters away, than bring in. If you look at the broader platform for the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA), there are numerous positions that voters will find very hard to support such as abolishing the Senate, abolishing Immigration and Customs Enforcement, severely defunding police enforcement and prisons. Not all progressive Democrats endorse the broader DSA platform, but these ambitious goals can shape how voters view the overall movement and it can be very intimidating if candidates are connected to that platform.
Recent midterm polling gives Democrats reason to be optimistic about their position in the House and potentially the Senate as well, especially if they’re able to win crucial races like Texas and Michigan. However, I do think it’s important to distinguish the difference between support for democratic candidates and the dissatisfaction of the current administration. A lot of the political environment has been focused on the increasingly unpopular policies of the Trump administration and the declining enthusiasm for the MAGA movement. I don’t believe the Democratic party’s position in the polls are due to the strength of their candidates, although, in my view, there are some very strong ones (Go Talarico). Rather, I believe it’s largely due to the many issues Democratic candidates can point to when criticizing any Republican candidate or incumbent remotely tied to the Trump administration. President Trump’s approval ratings are in the mid to low thirties, gas prices are still high, the conflict in Iran is still going on, and affordability has become one of, if not the most important issue in many of these midterm elections. Nevertheless, I think Democrats should not mistake this dissatisfaction with Trump for genuine support for their party.
While these divisions may not hurt Democrats much in the midterms, they could become a massive problem in 2028 and beyond. While more progressive and DSA affiliates win their primaries, we have yet to see how well they can perform in general elections, let alone on a national level. If Democrats want to really capitalize on the missteps of the Republicans, moving further left isn’t going to get the job done. They need to unite around a message that will appeal to more than just their current base. With so few members signing the “Promise to America” pledge, which could have been that strong new message they needed, the party risks its loudest voices dictating their future.
Copy edited by Annamaria DeCamp ’27
Featured image courtesy of ABC News
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