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How has the upset victory of progressive Abdul El-Sayed over a DNC/AIPAC-backed corporatist in Michigan transformed the Democratic Party? Drawing on historical precedent, editorial cartoonists Ted Rall (from the Left) and Scott Stantis (from the Right) break it down on today’s DMZ America Podcast.
The Democratic Party is locked in a fierce internal civil war as progressive and Democratic Socialist insurgents surge against the centrist establishment. In Michigan, Abdul El-Sayed narrowly defeated AIPAC-backed Rep. Haley Stevens in the Senate primary despite over $60 million in dark money, framing the race as a referendum on foreign influence and corporate power.
Similar upsets in New York, where Mamdani-backed candidates toppled incumbents, and victories in Colorado, Maine, and elsewhere have alarmed moderates.
Groups like Third Way are mobilizing millions to attack the Left within their own party, with strategists warning of a “schism” and labeling progressives “bomb-throwers.” The clash pits economic populism, antiwar stances, and young voters against the old guard’s focus on control and Israel. Establishment figures fear losing their grip on the DNC, while progressives argue the party’s corporate tilt caused recent losses and demand a bold new direction.
