The internal struggle within the US Democratic Party, which won a landslide victory in the midterm elections, is in full swing. There appears to be a battle between camps, largely divided into the 'centrist extension theory' and the 'progressive agenda realization theory'.
The perspectives on reading the public sentiment reflected in the election are different. There are conflicting interpretations: one that the driving force behind the overwhelming number of seats was the absorption of moderate conservatives and independents, and another that the desire for progressive ideology that opposes the policies of the Donald Trump administration played a role.
Based on the federal Senate election, the former was centered around Texas, Kansas, and Iowa, where a Democratic candidate was elected for the first time in about 100 years. The latter is mainly comprised of Democratic Socialist (DSA)-affiliated elected officials from Michigan, Maine, and Minnesota.
While the DSA group has come up with radical agendas such as the introduction of a wealth tax, universal healthcare (Medicaid), disbanding Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), and banning arms exports to Israel, the elected candidates who flipped the Republican 'homeland' to blue with the support of moderate and conservative voters are keeping some distance from these agendas, focusing on price stability and ending the Iran war.
According to reports from the New York Times (NYT) and the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) on the 8th (local time), the general assessment is that as the number of Democratic Party seats increased by a larger amount than expected, the 'party within the party' bargaining power that the DSA group originally expected has weakened.
It was expected that they would secure about 10 seats in the Federal House of Representatives and use 'casting votes' as leverage to influence the party's major decisions. However, as the Democratic Party's House of Representatives seats expanded to the point where it could reach as many as 260 seats, the power of the DSA was relatively reduced.
In addition, the performance of contestants such as James Talarico (Texas), Adam Hamilton (Kansas), and Josh Turek (Iowa) in the final stages of the election left an equally strong impression as the advance of DSA politicians such as Abdul El-Sayed (Michigan) earlier this year.
President-elect Talarico advocated ‘politics of love’ that cautions against partisanship. President-elect Hamilton described himself as a “progressive conservative and conservative progressive.” President-elect Turek supported the conservative agenda of ‘banning transgender people from participating in youth games.’
However, DSA-affiliated senators and congressmen counter that a new wave must arise in the Democratic Party. The argument is that the failure of President Trump to be elected in two presidential elections led by mainstream, established politicians should not be repeated.
In an interview with the NYT, President-elect El Sayed emphasized that his victory was due to his attempt to overturn the political system. Senator Bernie Sanders (Vermont), the 'godfather' of the progressive camp, also advocated that the Democratic Party should not hesitate to pursue a progressive agenda, saying, "We can no longer continue with the same old status quo policies."
As such, the WSJ pointed out that the Democratic Party's congressmen, who will take control of the Senate and House of Representatives starting early next year, have the broadest political spectrum in recent years, ranging from newly elected first-term lawmakers linked to the DSA to dozens of lawmakers from strong Republican constituencies where Trump's support is very strong.
Each camp is ready to compete despite increasing its size. Currently, the New Democrat Coalition, a centrist group of House Democrats, is trying to form the largest faction in the party with about 140 seats. The House Democratic Party's Congressional Progressive Caucus also announced that it will increase the number of its members to 25 next year.
In the next Congress, there are quite a few new faces entering the House of Representatives riding the Democratic Party's 'blue tsunami'. Axios, an American online media outlet, called them 'wave babies'. Both the moderate camp and the DSA faction are expected to contact them and seek to expand their power.
The three confrontations between the camps can be seen not only from the debate over the party's line, but also from the perspective of competition over which candidate to run in the 2028 presidential election. Both Democratic and Republican parties virtually switched to presidential mode immediately after the midterm elections.
Former Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel, a centrist presidential candidate, said in a NYT interview, "There are a lot of non-Major Republicans and independent voters who want to give the Democratic Party a second chance. I don't think socialism is the way to win their hearts and minds."
Rep. Ro Khanna (California), who is considered a progressive presidential candidate, said, "The old arguments that the established mainstream forces, which lost twice to Trump, have repeated while judging who is likely to be elected and who is not are now completely meaningless."
The U.S. media emphasized that leadership that encompasses lawmakers has become more important than ever in a situation where the party must seek a regime change against the Trump administration while fighting over its political line. The Democratic Party's Senate and House leadership elections are scheduled for early next month and next week, respectively.
Floor leader Schumer, who values party unity and unity, is likely to be reappointed as the next Senate majority leader, while floor leader Jeffries, who has a similar stance and is cautious, is likely to become the first black House Speaker.
It is reported that some House members and their offices are receiving hundreds of calls from supporters saying that Jeffries should not be supported as floor leader. Most of them are believed to be hard-core DSA party members, and they are said to support progressive Rep. Jamie Raskin (Maryland).
However, most House members seem to regard Jeffries' election as Speaker of the House as a fait accompli. Jeffries expressed confidence in the NYT interview, saying, “Failure is not an option.”
CNN reported that floor leader Schumer is also evaluated as lacking leadership skills to represent the majority party in the Senate with 54 to 56 seats, but he is the most likely candidate for the next floor leader as no competitor has announced his intention to challenge so far.
