Tailwind for the Democrats' left wing

"Abdul, Abdul, Abdul".

When left-wing Democrat Abdul El-Sayed took the stage during the vigil in Michigan, the crowd chanted loudly.

After winning against the more centrist Haley Stevens in the primary this summer, the 41-year-old doctor now takes a seat in the Senate.

Abdul El-Sayed is one of the clearest examples of success for the Democrats' left phalanx in the midterm elections. El-Sayed, who will be the first Muslim in the Senate, has been considered by some, including some Democrats, to be too far to the left.

El-Sayed does not call himself a socialist, but pushes, among other things, demands for universal health insurance, increased taxes for high-income earners and that the migration police ICE be abolished.

Other examples of progressive Democrats who have gained success in the midterm elections are Troy Jackson, who won over Republican Susan Collins in Maine, and Randy Villegas of California, who looks set to take a seat in the House of Representatives.

Nationally, progressive Democrats are touting Tuesday's election results as a setback to the notion that left-leaning candidates can't win in even districts, Politico reports.

The election has meant success for the Democratic Socialists of America, DSA, the largest socialist organization in the United States. At least five people who are members of or otherwise connected to the organization have been elected to the House of Representatives, reports NPR, National Public Radio. All won in constituencies where the Democrats traditionally have strong support.

The successes of progressive and left-leaning candidates in the midterm elections follow last year's high-profile victory for socialist Zohran Mamdani in the New York City mayoral race.

In Los Angeles, another politician who calls himself a socialist may be elected mayor. In the election there – which has yet to be decided – Nithya Raman is running against incumbent Mayor Karen Bass.

The successes in the mid-term elections could give the progressive phalanx within the Democrats a stronger starting point when the party begins to shape its policies for the 2028 presidential election.

Rick Cole, who is working on the transition to a new mayoral government in Los Angeles, tells Politico that the Democrats in California, and especially in Los Angeles, have been "asleep at the wheel."

- This is a fundamental rebellion against the way things usually work.

At the same time, the picture is not clear cut. The Democrats have also had electoral success with candidates with a more centrist or pragmatic profile, such as Roy Cooper in North Carolina, Chris Pappas in New Hampshire and Josh Turek in Iowa.

Party leaders play down the significance of the election results for the party's left phalanx.

- Our victories are so great tonight that no single part or phalanx of the Democrats will be able to dictate the direction of the party, Terry McAuliffe, former governor of Virginia, told Politico.

The Democrats' overall success in the election seems to have several explanations. It concerns, for example, young voters under the age of 30 who turned to a higher degree against the Democrats, according to AP's voter survey. Democrats also strengthened their support among Hispanic and black voters, low-income voters and middle-class voters compared to 2024.

Read more:

Here are the bangers in the US midterm elections