New wave of progressive candidates push Democratic Party further left

New York Democrats embraced socialism after they elected Zohran Mamdani to steer the nation’s largest metropolis, however the verdict remains to be out on whether or not New York Metropolis’s leftward shift is an outlier or the beginning of a broader political realignment.

From California’s redistricting success to the gubernatorial races in Virginia and New Jersey, Democrats dominated probably the most intently watched contests of 2025 — outcomes that might be seen as a referendum on President Donald Trump’s sweeping second-term agenda.

As Mamdani rises to political prominence, quite a lot of fellow progressives are combating to make sure that his victory heralds the beginning of a brand new period in progressive politics.

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Democratic mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani of New York and Illinois congressional candidate Kat Abughazaleh have emerged as rising stars within the Democratic Celebration. (Reuters/Bing Guan; Reuters/Jim Vondruska)

Aftyn Behn

Aftyn Behn, a former well being care group organizer and present Democratic state consultant, just lately secured the Democratic nomination to signify Tennessee’s seventh Congressional District.

The Dickson County Democratic Celebration described Behn as “our personal AOC of TN,” referring to “Squad” member Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, DN.Y., based on The Tennessee Star.

Tennessee State Consultant Aftyn Behn speaks to members of the general public earlier than the beginning of a Democratic Celebration discussion board for candidates operating for the seventh Congressional District particular election on the Fairview Recreation Middle in Fairview on Sunday, September 7, 2025. (Alan Poizner-For The Tennessean/USA TODAY NETWORK by way of Imagn Photographs)

On her marketing campaign web site, Behn describes herself as a “pissed off social employee” who was impressed to run for the Home of Representatives after Congress handed Trump’s One Huge Stunning Invoice Act earlier this yr.

Behn is operating in Tennessee’s Dec. 2 particular election to interchange Rep. Mark Inexperienced, R-Tenn., who retired from Congress earlier this yr.

Cat Abuhazaleh

Kat Abughazaleh, 26, is the progressive Gen Z candidate operating for Illinois’ ninth Congressional District subsequent yr.

She was indicted on federal prices in October after protesters allegedly attacked an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) car exterior a Chicago suburb in September.

Viral movies of Abughazaleh stopping the ICE car and being pushed to the bottom by an officer exterior the Broadview ICE facility on September 19 grew to become focal factors within the divisive debate over Trump’s rollout.

Democratic congressional candidate Kat Abughazaleh holds a megaphone exterior the Broadview ICE processing facility on September 26, 2025. (Reuters/Jim Vondruska)

Abughazaleh is a former journalist and activist who repeatedly attends protests exterior the ICE facility in Broadview, Illinois.

She has accused Homeland Safety Secretary Kristi Noem of committing “crimes in opposition to humanity.”

Abughazaleh gained nationwide consideration earlier this yr for questioning why it’s controversial that unlawful immigrants ought to have entry to taxpayer-funded well being care.

“I’ve no medical health insurance and I’m operating for Congress,” reads the marketing campaign web site of the younger progressive social gathering.

Saikat Chakrabarti

Saikat Chakrabarti burst onto the political scene in the course of the rise of the ‘Squad’, operating Ocasio-Cortez’s profitable 2018 congressional marketing campaign and subsequently serving as her chief of employees.

The progressive met Ocasio-Cortez as he launched “Justice Democrats,” a political motion committee dedicated to recruiting a brand new technology of leaders.

Now Chakrabarti himself has turn out to be the generational candidate. Earlier this yr, he introduced his marketing campaign to problem Home Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi for her congressional district in San Francisco.

On Thursday, Pelosi introduced her intention to retire from Congress on the finish of subsequent yr, heading into an already aggressive Democratic major with state Sen. Scott Wiener additionally within the operating to interchange Pelosi.

Saikat Chakrabarti attends a press convention on the Capitol Customer Middle on Monday, July 15, 2019. (Tom Williams/CQ roll name)

Chakrabarti stated it was time for “completely new management” in Washington, DC

His coverage platform features a lengthy checklist of progressive guarantees, together with Medicare for All, a wealth tax on the ultra-wealthy, tens of millions of housing items, a ban on inventory buying and selling in Congress and an finish to navy financing to Israel.

Throughout a cellphone interview, Chakrabarti informed Fox Information Digital that his major focus is on fixing the “underlying financial issues dealing with most Individuals” — the identical “plan for daring, sweeping financial change” that introduced Trump again to the White Home final yr and was profitable for Mamdani this yr.

Chakrabarti stated a brand new technology of candidates, like himself, have been impressed to run since witnessing “the whole failure of the Democratic political institution.”

“I feel folks really feel that the Democratic Celebration, the institution, is simply weak and gradual and unable to fulfill the second,” he added.

In line with his web site, Chakrabarti’s first marketing campaign dedication is to cease Trump’s “authoritarian coup.”

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., leaves a press convention on Monday, July 15, 2019, as her former chief of employees, Saikat Chakrabarti, follows. (Tom Williams/CQ roll name)

The congressional candidate described Trump’s ICE-led deportation as “a blatant violation of our constitutional rights and freedom of speech and the whole lot we maintain pricey on this nation.”

When requested if the social gathering is shifting left in response to Trump’s second time period, he stated: “It is probably not a query of left versus proper.”

“I feel individuals are on the lookout for actual options to the issues. Individuals are on the lookout for a change within the system, and I do not suppose Donald Trump is doing that, however that is what Donald Trump expressed in his marketing campaign.”

Total, Chakrabarti stated voters are “very uninterested in corruption” and the “previous guard” who he stated had been solely looking for themselves fairly than their voters.

Chakrabarti congratulated Mamdani’s victory in a social media submit on Tuesday, telling his followers that Mamdani received as a result of he stood for “actual, daring change.”

“That is what we’re doing right here in San Francisco,” Chakrabarti stated, evaluating his personal marketing campaign to Mamdani’s.

Dr. Abdul El-Sayed

Dr. Abdul El-Sayed is amongst progressive candidates vying for Michigan’s open U.S. Senate seat subsequent yr.

“Abdul actually wrote the guide on Medicare for All,” based on his marketing campaign web site. He wrote “Medicare for All: A Citizen’s Information,” which defined how the U.S. well being care system can present inexpensive care to all Individuals.

El-Sayed led Detroit’s Division of Well being after chapter and restructured Wayne County’s Division of Well being, Human & Veterans Providers. In 2020, he helped President Joe Biden craft insurance policies to assist decrease prescription drug costs.

Dr. Abdul El-Sayed speaks throughout a public well being roundtable on the coronavirus in Romulus, Michigan, on Monday, March 9, 2020. (Erin Kirkland/Bloomberg by way of Getty Photographs)

He believes in eliminating medical debt and that college students deserve debt-free and tuition-free two-year internship applications or a four-year faculty diploma.

Abdul El-Sayed celebrated Mamdani’s success on social media this week, writing: “Yesterday voters reminded us how nice America will be.”

Graham Platner

Graham Platner is difficult Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, in 2026. He’s a Marine, U.S. Military veteran and an oyster farmer.

On November 4, he stated he wouldn’t mourn the demise of former Vice President Dick Cheney.

Graham Platner, a Senate candidate from Maine, speaks at a city corridor on the Leavitt Theater in Ogunquit, Maine on October 22, 2025. (Sophie Park/Getty Photographs)

“As a veteran of the Iraq Conflict, I’ll say, no, not this time.”

Between 2020 and 2021, Platner posted and since deleted messages on Reddit calling himself a “communist,” which he just lately stated he was “joking about.”

Platner confronted calls to withdraw from the Senate race, and a prime marketing campaign aide resigned after dealing with backlash over photographs displaying he had a tattoo just like the Totenkopf utilized by Hitler’s paramilitary SS forces.

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In line with his web site, Platner’s marketing campaign guarantees embody supporting Medicare for All and “a transparent condemnation of the genocide in Gaza.”

Fox Information Digital reached out to Behn, Abughazaleh and Platner for remark however didn’t instantly obtain a response.

Anders Hagstrom of Fox Information Digital contributed to this report.