Democrats are concerned a fight over their party’s direction could hamper their attempts to win back the House majority in 2026, Axios reported.
“I think that you’re going to see some of the highest numbers of primaries in 2026 — to the left and to the right,” one House Democrat told Axios. “It’s going to feel like four parties.”
The unnamed Democrat said this would hamper leadership, because they’d have to focus on protecting its members rather than winning back the majority and the White House, Axios reported.
“People are going to their corners in the ring and saying, ‘We’re the winning corner,'” Rep. Emanuel Cleaver, D-Mo., told Axios.
Moderate and progressive Democrats have been blaming the other side for their losses on Election Day, according to Axios.
“I think the identity politics stuff is absolutely killing us,” one centrist House Democrat said.
A progressive lawmaker pointed out to Axios that members on their side got 78% of the vote in their own election, while Harris only received 53%.
A top aide to Rep. Seth Moulton, D-Mass., resigned after the congressmen said Democrats alienated voters by not speaking up over transgender girls participating in girls’ sports. Rep. Tom Suozzi, D-N.Y., said Republicans made a big issue out of it, while Democrats said nothing.
A moderate and progressive Democrat both complained to Axios that leadership needs to take more accountability for its losses.
“Democrats are terrible at accountability,” the moderate said. “If we’re in the, like, think tank world, and all that matters is having nice ideas, then sure, maybe we can call that success.”
There “is some real responsibility to be taken,” the progressive said. “Just acting like we’re in a pep rally, saying, You all did a good job. … I think it’s [expletive]. Let’s acknowledge that we failed.”
