The Democrats Are Closing In On Their Tea Party Moment

Tuesday night's election results show growing momentum for the party's left wing.

Senior Political Reporter, HuffPost

The Democrats are as close to a Tea Party moment as they’ve ever been.

Progressives seeking to remake the party in the wake of a second loss to President Donald Trump had a fantastic night on Tuesday.

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s endorsed candidates went three-for-three, ousting two incumbent members of Congress, with matching victories further down the ballot in New York.

These victories, which include the ousting of Congressional Hispanic Caucus Chair Adriano Espaillat, will cause massive internal headaches for party leaders, who must deal with members across the country fearing they are next. These wins are also exposing massive gaps – ideological, generational and stylistic – between what Democratic primary voters want and what the party’s elected officials provide.

The left’s wins this cycle are stacking up, taking advantage of moments where the party’s establishment failed to adjust to new political realities.

Mamdani defeated former Governor Andrew Cuomo, who seemed more interested in reputational rehabilitation than innovative governance; oysterman Graham Platner defeated 79-year-old Maine Governor Janet Mills, who needed to be dragged into a race against Republican Senator Susan Collins; Randy Villegas won........

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