The Big Tent stretches in all directions

Last night is a reminder that Democrats must be comfortable governing with every wing of the party

Three hard-left, Mamdani-backed candidates swept through New York City congressional Democratic primaries last night. Down-ballot, the DSA cleaned up as well.

Predictably, the moderate wing of the Democratic Party is thoroughly spooked. Vicente Gonzalez, a Congressman from a Texas swing district, responded to the results by saying, “Nationally it’s a huge concern, how they push policies within the Democratic caucus that we’re going to have to defend. A lot of these policies I don’t agree with and would be very difficult for me to sell to people in South Texas.”

There’s no denying that Darializa Avila Chevalier’s views on crime and immigration would play poorly in Gonzalez’s moderate, Hispanic-majority district. And we shouldn’t over-index on the magnitude of last night’s result; the DSA is still only gaining power in the deep blue urban centers.

That being said, the same centrist Democrats who demand the party make room for politicians with more conservative views on immigration and public safety also need to get along with people like Brad Lander and Claire Valdez. That means understanding why they have been successful: They are riding a wave of deep-seated anti-incumbent sentiment and representing a part of the base that has become more progressive and accepting of socialism over the past decade.

It’s still an open question how a Democratic presidential candidate can square the fact that primary voters are substantially more progressive than the sort of voters that decide presidential elections. But in the immediate term, as the party gears up to take back Congress this November, they can’t write off the political forces that are electing these hard-left candidates to office. This means understanding that beating Trump and forming a true supermajority will involve governing alongside leftist allies who represent the views of their constituents just as much as the members of Congress who represent swing districts.

It’s essential to note that this is a two-way street. If hard-left candidates want to run on the party line and caucus with Democrats, they need to provide assurances that they’re not aiming for a hostile takeover of the party and avoid goofy legislative stunts that put frontliners at risk. They should know that they’re welcome in the big tent, but just like Bernie Sanders and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, they still need to vote for the sort of compromise legislation that actually makes it through Congress and improves people’s lives.

Brad Lander struck exactly the right tone in an interview this morning.

“We need to build bridges between more progressive candidates and moderate candidates. Two years ago, I knocked doors for Tom Suozzi and Laura Gillen. I joked that I did it in like a disguise mustache so I wouldn’t hurt their chances.”

And he continued with a fair warning to the moderates who defy primary voters at their own peril. “But I think part of the reason Dan Goldman didn’t win last night is he couldn’t endorse Mamdani when he was the Democratic nominee for mayor.”

A supermajority-focused Democratic party will need to welcome left-wing representation from the big blue dots, while also remaining dialed in on winning the districts and states that will give the party a durable governing majority. That’s a big bull to wrangle, and a job that won’t get done without taking lessons from Democrats all over America.

The left flank may have won in New York, but they have also suffered primary defeats in districts like Utah-01. Moderates like Josh Turek and Roy Cooper¹ are putting red seats firmly in the flip column. Basically, there is no magic bullet that makes Democrats successful. As with most things in electoral politics, it depends on where you’re running.

This is where Searchlight’s founding principle of heterodoxy comes in. No one faction, policy, or person can save the Democrats. That remains true whether you’re talking about campaigning or governing. You wouldn’t run a Democratic Socialist in the Rio Grande Valley any more than you’d run a Blue Dog in Brooklyn. Even if Democrats are in the majority, compromise is the only way to effect change in a Congress that represents our vast and ideologically diverse country. Expanding the social safety net and taxing the rich will require buy-in from all sides.

I’m well aware how lofty that goal may seem in the thick of a contentious primary season. But I actually think Democrats’ willingness to openly disagree with each other is the party’s superpower. As Will Rogers said, “I don’t belong to any organized political party. I’m a Democrat. Democrats never agree on anything; that’s why they’re Democrats. If they agreed with each other, they’d be Republicans.”

1. Go heels