Are The Democratic Socialists Winning or Losing?

Name: Are The Democratic Socialists Winning or Losing?
Uploaded: 2026-08-25T01:33:04-07:00
Duration: 29 min 29 s
Channel: New York Times Podcasts
Description: The progressive left within the Democratic Party is ascendant, successfully competing in swing states like Michigan and Wisconsin, but faces distinct…

New York Times Podcasts

00:29:29 Summary & quotes Report Issue

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About this episode The progressive left within the Democratic Party is ascendant, successfully competing in swing states like Mic… AI summary

The progressive left within the Democratic Party is ascendant, successfully competing in swing states like Michigan and Wisconsin, but faces distinct demographic divides. While young and high-income voters show varying levels of support, the movement has shifted from the 2016 Bernie Sanders coalition of working-class whites to a base of young activists and mainstream liberals disillusioned with the establishment. This evolution suggests the party will move leftward, potentially through assimilation rather than hostile takeover.

Key takeaways 6

Demographic Divide by Age: Young voters (under 30) overwhelmingly back progressive candidates (60-80% margins), particularly in college town precincts like Ann Arbor (95% for Elsed) and Milwaukee hip neighborhoods (70-80% for Hong). Older voters consistently support establishment moderates.
Demographic Divide by Income: High-income voters ($150k+) are a stronghold for establishment candidates, often winning by 2-to-1 margins, due to progressive platforms targeting wealth inequality and corporations. Low-income voters are heterogeneous, split by age rather than just income.
Racial Voting Patterns: Establishment candidates perform significantly better among Black voters. This is attributed to higher turnout among older Black voters in primaries and a broader base of moderate/conservative Black Democrats who may not align with democratic socialist economic policies.
Coalition Evolution Since 2016: The current progressive coalition differs from Bernie Sanders' 2016 base. Sanders relied on working-class white voters and economic populism; today's progressives rely on young activists and mainstream suburban liberals who are disillusioned with the establishment's failure to defeat Trump or address issues like Gaza.
General Election Viability: While progressive candidates can win Democratic primaries, they face challenges in general elections where they must appeal to moderate independents and conservative-leaning Democrats. The current platform's focus on non-economic issues (e.g., Gaza) may alienate the working-class white voters needed for broad general election success.
Future Trajectory: The Democratic Party is likely to move leftward as younger generations replace older moderates. Mainstream Democrats may attempt to co-opt progressive themes (e.g., economic populism, anti-Israel stances) to prevent a hostile takeover by Democratic Socialists.

Notable quotes 4 AI-generated: wording and quote attribution may be wrong. Use the play link to verify.

“The most powerful factor that's shaping what's happening in these race are these underlying big divides in the national Democratic party, not the idiosyncrasies of these races.”

▶ 6:51 Nate Cohn explains that despite different candidates and circumstances in Michigan and Wisconsin, the similar results highlight structural demographic divides rather than candidate-specific factors.
“In some sense, this is a story that we've seen in the Democratic party for for decades now. young voters who come of age and are dissatisfied with the country and want to see changes then look naturally to something that's even farther to the left...”

▶ 8:20 Cohn contextualizes the youth vote's support for progressives as a historical pattern of dissatisfaction driving younger generations toward more radical options.
“Mainstream Democrats will try and co-opt elements of this message... I mean, we just saw Gavin Newsome uh say the divide in America in politics today isn't between left and right, it's between top and down.”

▶ 22:30 Cohn predicts that the establishment will attempt to absorb progressive economic populism to maintain relevance, citing Gavin Newsom's rhetoric as an example.
“If the mainstream of the party resists it, that's when you have the opportunity for a real hostile takeover like what happened to the Republicans.”

▶ 24:00 Cohn contrasts potential futures for the Democratic Party, suggesting that resistance to progressive demands could lead to a split similar to the Republican party's shift.