Progressives notch another win over Democratic moderates as Sanders-AOC ally nears Congress

A progressive organizer backed by left-wing champions Sen. Bernie Sanders and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is 1 measurement distant from winning a spot successful Congress.

Analilia Mejia, who has made rebuilding the Democratic Party a cardinal pillar of her campaign, is the front-runner successful an April peculiar legislature predetermination for a blue-leaning territory successful New Jersey aft pulling disconnected a large upset successful past week's Democratic primary.

The ballot container showdown, wherever Mejia narrowly edged retired front-runner erstwhile Rep. Tom Malinowski, was the latest face-off betwixt progressives and much mainstream Democrats. Mejia yet bushed 10 different Democrats for the accidental to capable the spot near vacant aft now-Gov. Mikie Sherrill, who stepped down aft winning past November's gubernatorial election.

While Mejia was the wide prime of the near flank of the party's base, the remainder of the tract appeared to disagreement the much mean and center-left vote. And Malinowski was battered by a slew of onslaught ads enactment retired by a radical affiliated with the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), which opposed Malinowski due to the fact that helium said helium supports conditions connected assistance to Israel.

‘ABOLISH ICE’—WHERE SANDERS AND AOC-BACKED MEJIA STANDS ON THE ISSUES 

Trailing by astir 900 votes 5 days aft the primary, Malinowski conceded connected Tuesday.

Regardless of however she won, Mejia is getting showered with praise from nationalist progressive leaders.

"She stands for a progressive populist economical agenda," Rep. Ro Khanna of California, who besides backed Mejia, emphasized Friday successful a societal media post. "She is the future!" 

And the triumph by Mejia, who worked arsenic nationalist governmental manager connected Sanders' 2020 statesmanlike campaign, is the latest boost for the near against the constitution since socialist New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani sent daze waves crossed the federation with his Democratic superior triumph successful June 2025.

'FULL-BLOWN BATTLE' BREWING IN DEM PARTY AS MAMDANI-STYLE CANDIDATES RISE IN KEY RACES

Mamdani's superior win, followed by his double-digit wide predetermination triumph, was acold from a one-off for the near past year.

Transit advocator and progressive organizer Katie Wilson narrowly edged out incumbent Mayor Bruce Harrell successful Seattle's mayoral election.

Detroit City Council President Mary Sheffield, who is known for her absorption connected lodging justice, won the showdown for Detroit politician successful a landslide, succeeding longtime Mayor Mike Duggan.

DEMOCRATS HAD MAJOR ELECTION VICTORIES IN 2025, BUT WINS DON’T ERASE PARTY’S CRITICAL WEAKNESSES

It wasn't conscionable metropolis hallway battles.

Progressive candidates implicit performed successful authorities legislative battles, arsenic good arsenic successful peculiar legislature elections.

Adelita Grijalva, who was backed by Sanders and Ocasio-Cortez, cruised to predetermination successful the contention to win her precocious father, erstwhile Rep. Raul Grijalva, successful a left-leaning legislature spot successful Arizona. And successful the Democratic primary, the runner-up to Grijalva was different progressive, societal influencer Deja Foxx.

And successful Tennessee, progressive authorities lawmaker Aftyn Behn won the Democratic superior for an unfastened legislature spot successful a GOP-dominated territory earlier falling abbreviated successful the wide predetermination successful a contention that grabbed outsized nationalist attention.

The Progressive Change Campaign Committee (PCCC) a starring radical connected the left, told Fox News Digital that "Analilia Mejia’s momentous showing proves that voters, erstwhile fixed a choice, privation Democrats with an inspiring imaginativeness who volition boldly situation almighty interests connected behalf of moving families."

PCCC co-founder Adam Green, a New Jersey autochthonal who knocked doors for Mejia and spoke astatine a rally with Mejia and Sanders connected superior eve, added that superior voters "made wide they privation Democrats who volition shingle up a breached governmental and economical strategy – not conscionable beryllium anti-Trump."

But Matt Bennett, enforcement vice president for the mean Democratic-aligned radical the Third Way, argued that Mejia won "because AIPAC blew up Tom Malinowski."

Bennett told Fox News Digital that the New Jersey contention was a "Thursday successful February superior with precise debased turnout…It does not archer america thing adjacent astir the Democratic electorate, overmuch little the wide electorate."

"So trying to reason that this is simply a acquisition for Democrats is bananas. It doesn't archer america thing astir what we request to bash to triumph successful pugnacious places," Bennett emphasized.

REPUBLICANS PUSH TO MAKE MAMDANI THE NEW FACE OF THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY

Another near vs. halfway Democratic information conflict is shaping up successful red-leaning Texas, wherever Rep. Jasmine Crockett, a progressive champion and vocal Trump professional and foil, is facing disconnected successful an aboriginal March Senate superior against authorities Rep. James Talarico, a somewhat much center-left rising prima successful the party.

Crockett's precocious introduction into the high-profile contention gave the GOP instant ammunition to overgarment Democrats arsenic far-left extremists.

"All crossed the country, what we're seeing is Jasmine is being repeated, replicated each crossed the country," National Republican Senatorial Committee Chair Sen. Tim Scott claimed successful a Fox News Digital interview. "Socialism is successful vogue successful the Democrat Party."

Mike Marinella, nationalist spokesperson for the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC), told Fox News Digital the emergence of progressive candidates is simply a "full-blown conflict for the psyche of the Democrat Party" arsenic helium pointed to 7 Democratic legislature primaries this twelvemonth from seashore to seashore wherever the campaigner connected the near appeared to beryllium retired hustling the much centrist oregon constitution pick.

Marinella argued that the "socialist stampede is winning."

KEY TAKEAWAYS FROM THE 2025 ELECTIONS

But it's not conscionable Republicans ringing alarms.

"The Democratic Party’s aspirations to triumph statewide successful a reddish authorities similar Texas simply don’t beryllium without a centrist Democrat who tin physique a winning conjugation of ideologically divers voters," Liam Kerr, co-founder of the Welcome PAC, a radical which advocates for mean Democratic candidates, argued successful a connection to Fox News Digital arsenic helium pointed to the Crockett-Talarico contention successful Texas.

And the Third Way, a deliberation vessel that champions center-left ideas, successful a memo pursuing the Tennessee peculiar election, argued, "If far-left groups privation to assistance prevention American democracy, they should halt pushing their candidates successful plaything districts and costing america flippable seats."

But Democratic National Committee Chair Ken Martin sees a metallic lining, arsenic helium pointed to "the large breadth of our party."

"We person blimpish Democrats, we person centrist Democrats, we person progressives and we person leftists. And I've ever said that you triumph elections done addition, not subtraction. You triumph by bringing radical into your conjugation and increasing your party," Martin said successful a Fox News Digital interrogation past autumn.