American voters have rejected a trio of squad-backed trio of progressive Democrats. They suffered blistering rebukes last 17 March as Illinois voters rejected them in favor of more moderate candidates, prompting questions from onlookers about whether the party’s core, and momentum, should be entrusted to the far-left wing of its base.
To James Carville, a longtime Democratic strategist, the answer has been "no" for a long time. Talking to Fox News Digital in response to several progressive candidates losing in the Democratic primary in deep blue Illinois, he questioned the narrative that Squad-aligned progressives are gaining momentum.
"What momentum? About 15 percent of the Democratic Party identifies themselves as progressive. And what's unique, they win about 15 percent in the primaries at most," Carville said. "This was something I've dealt with all my life."
"In New York, [Zohran] Mamdami got 50.5 percent — which is not overwhelming. That's hardly the basis for some national movement," Carville said, referring to the socialist mayor of New York City.
The progressive losses all came despite high-profile support from some of the most progressive figures in Congress.
Kat Abughazaleh, the 26-year-old Palestinian American running on an anti-establishment platform and promises to implement a "wealth tax," attracted support from the likes of Rep. Rashida Talib, D-Mich., and Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn, but lost on Tuesday.
Defeated technology entrepreneur Junaid Ahmed told voters he would push for the self-determination of Gaza and implement healthcare for all, earning the support of Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash., and Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass.
And Robert Peters, a state senator who raised US$ 1.1 million on his track record of helping to end cash bail and raising the minimum wage at the state level, garnered backing from Sen. Bernie Sanders, D-Vt, and Warren, but lost his bid for Congress to Cook County Commissioner Donna Miller.
Between them, they raised US$ 5.7 million.
Anthony Driver Jr., widely regarded as a progressive candidate in Illinois' 7th District Democratic primary, lost to the more moderate, establishment-aligned Democrat, La Shawn Ford.
Driver was endorsed by Jayapal and the Congressional Progressive Caucus.
Liam Kerr, co-founder of the Welcome PAC, a group that supports moderate Democrats, believes their losses should give the party a clear takeaway.
"Illinois is just the latest reminder that the noise machine around far-left candidates rarely translates into actual votes," Kerr said.
"There's a real hunger in this party to win, and the candidates who keep losing are the ones more focused on ideological performance than tried and true economic concerns. The blueprint is simple: ditch the clout-chasing ideologues and invest in hard-working candidates who know their communities."
Kerr’s framing was echoed by Jim Kessler, vice president of policy at Third Way, a Democrat think tank focused on moderate platforms.