US Democrats: The moderate course promises further success

Democrats after election victory The moderate course promises further success As of: November 5th, 2026 • 6:57 a.m

After the midterms, the left wing of the Democrats sees themselves strengthened, but top Democrats in Congress are opting for a moderate course. Experts also say: This helps in a “center-right country.”

The Democrats' election victory in the midterms is likely to intensify the dispute over the direction of the Democratic Party. The so-called progressives on the left are feeling an upswing. The reason is the election of left winger Abdul El-Sayed as senator in the swing state of Michigan.

Rep. Ro Khanna of California celebrated El-Sayed's victory. "This is great news for the progressive movement. It shows that if Abdul can win in Michigan, progressives can win across the country. The establishment can't tell us we're unelectable."

What El-Sayed's political friends are ignoring: Michigan elected a moderate Democrat as governor on Tuesday, with a better result than El-Sayed achieved.

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Political scientist Elaine Karmack from the Brookings think tank pours water into the wine of progressives. For decades, the number of Americans who describe themselves as conservative has been twice as high as those who describe themselves as liberal, i.e. left-wing, says Karmack.

"All the left-wing candidates won. All the moderate candidates won. There were a lot more moderate candidates than left-wing candidates. And that's just the way it is. Democrats are having a hard time coming to terms with the fact that this is not a center-left country," Karmack says. "It's a center-right country. So the Democrats do well when they're perceived as moderate."

The election results show that the Democrats were so successful in the midterm elections precisely because their candidates across the country fit their respective voters perfectly, politically and culturally. This means that anyone who suits liberal New York is not necessarily the right candidate for the conservative southern states.

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The two top Democrats in Congress, Hakeem Jeffries and Chuck Schumer, made it clear yesterday that they will resist pressure from the left wing.

Senator Schumer says: "The voters didn't give us the majority to do what we want. They gave us the majority to do what they want - the American people."

And that is to lower the cost of living, put an end to government corruption and keep Trump in check. However, Jeffries and Schumer must expect resistance in the election to the leadership of the House of Representatives and Senate.

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The left in particular sees them as too soft towards the president. Some of the Democrats' new stars spoke out from the conservative south. They made it clear: They are less interested in riots and more interested in effective work.

James Talarico, future senator from Texas, says: "I'm not going to Washington to represent the Democratic Party, but our beautiful state and everyone who lives here. That's why I look forward to working in a bipartisan way for all Texans."

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Annie Andrews, future senator from South Carolina, made similar comments. She looks forward to working with everyone - Democrat, Republican or Independent - to get it done for South Carolina.

But the dispute over direction is unlikely to tear the Democrats apart. Their majorities in the future Congress are so large that dissenters can simply deviate from time to time.

This topic in the program: tagesschau.de | What now, Democrats? | November 5, 2026 | 6:23 a.m