"You either fight for a future or you don’t": Progressives get early jump on Democratic primaries

Democratic candidates are gearing up for competitive races in the 2026 primaries.

The party's progressive and centrist wings are seeking to pull the party in a direction that they believe will lead them back to the majority in 2026 and potentially to the White House in 2028 .

So far, progressive candidates have had the jump, often criticizing the party for its limp opposition to Trump and Republicans and promising a more robust resistance.

Bennett : "We are very much hoping that moderates will run in as many of the purple and even red districts as possible" Bennett : A big part of the centrist push is backing candidates who had performed well in 2024 , even if they didn’t win.

“Occasionally, we, the party, nominates people from the farther left in those districts, and they lose,” Bennett said.