Far-left and socialist-aligned candidates are scaling up their political ambitions, moving beyond recent primary victories in New York City and Colorado to challenge establishment-backed Democrats in a series of upcoming primaries across the Midwest and Florida. The coordinated push, backed by groups such as the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) and Justice Democrats, aims to turn isolated blue-city upsets into a broader national pressure campaign against the Democratic Party’s centrist wing.
The momentum began two weeks ago when three far-left congressional candidates heavily supported by New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani defeated incumbent Democrats in New York City primaries. Then, on Tuesday, first-time candidate Melat Kiros, backed by the DSA, toppled 15-term Democratic Representative Diana DeGette in Colorado’s deep-blue 1st Congressional District. Kiros, a lawyer who lost her job in New York after writing an essay critical of Israel, was also endorsed by Justice Democrats, the group known for helping launch the careers of “Squad” members such as Representatives Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Ilhan Omar, Ayanna Pressley, and Rashida Tlaib.
Hours after Kiros’s victory, former Representative Cori Bush of Missouri pledged on social media that St. Louis would “do the same” on August 4. Bush, a nurse, pastor, and Black Lives Matter activist, first won her seat in 2020 by ousting longtime Democratic Representative Lacy Clay. She lost renomination two years ago to St. Louis County prosecuting attorney Wesley Bell, who was backed by millions in outside money, including pro-Israel groups opposed to Bush’s stance on the war in Gaza. Now, Bush and Clay are locked in an expensive and combative rematch in Missouri’s 1st Congressional District, which includes St. Louis.
On the same day as the Missouri primary, Michigan will hold its own contests. Among the key races is the open Senate seat being vacated by retiring Democratic Senator Gary Peters. Abdul El-Sayed, a former Wayne County health director who ran an insurgent campaign for governor in 2018, is one of three major candidates in the Democratic primary. El-Sayed has been endorsed by Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont and, on Thursday, by Representative Ocasio-Cortez. “AOC has changed the trajectory of American politics and inspired a generation to believe that government really can work for working people,” El-Sayed wrote on social media. “Together, we’re proving that even in the face of unprecedented outside spending, a movement powered by the people can win.”
One week later, on August 11, Wisconsin holds its primaries. State Representative Francesca Hong, a DSA-aligned candidate, is rising in a crowded field to succeed retiring Democratic Governor Tony Evers. “It’s a great day to be a democratic socialist,” Hong posted on X after the New York City victories. “Wisconsin is next!”
The following week, the focus shifts to Florida, where DSA-backed Oliver Larkin is challenging two-term Democratic Representative Jared Moskowitz in the state’s 25th Congressional District, which covers parts of Miami-Dade, Broward, and Palm Beach counties. “Tonight, @MelatKirosCO, tomorrow @OliverALarkin. The movement moves from New York to Colorado to FLORIDA!” the DSA wrote on X after Kiros’s win.
Progressives also scored a notable victory in Colorado’s neighboring 8th Congressional District, a competitive swing seat along the I-25 corridor north of Denver. State Representative Manny Rutinel won a convincing double-digit primary victory over former state Representative Shannon Bird, a more moderate candidate. Rutinel will now face Republican Representative Gabe Evans, who flipped the seat in the 2024 cycle. The race is considered one of two or three dozen that will determine whether Republicans hold their razor-thin House majority in the midterms.
Longtime Democratic strategist Joe Caiazzo, a veteran of Bernie Sanders’s 2016 and 2020 presidential campaigns, told Fox News Digital that “it is undeniable that progressives have built a coalition and have a message that can serve to buoy a candidate when they are an acceptable alternative to the status quo.” While mainstream Democrats have also racked up primary victories in recent weeks, it is the far-left wins that are drawing media attention. This dynamic gives Republicans, who face a challenging political climate as they work to hold their slim majorities, additional ammunition to portray all Democrats as radicals. President Donald Trump has repeatedly warned about the influence of socialist policies within the Democratic Party.
The DSA, in a social media post on Wednesday, declared: “Only socialism can solve decades of capitalist mismanagement in the US. Our newly elected leaders will fight for the working class — not for crumbs.” Hasan Piker, a controversial far-left streamer who attended Kiros’s primary night event in Denver, told Fox News: “I think progressive politics, left populism, a politics that centers the needs of the working class, can work in every district, in every state. That’s why I kept saying over and over again, it’s coming to a city near you.”