Party division is at its peak, but the extremes have never been closer to each other

On the surface, Democrats and Republicans are further apart today than perhaps at any point in American history. According to Pew Research, 80 percent of Americans believe that Republican and Democratic voters “cannot agree on plans, policies, or basic facts.” 

In a deeper sense however, the growing political divide obscures something more consequential: the loudest voices on the far left and far right increasingly sound alike. Originally dubbed the “Horseshoe theory,” the concept argues that at the extremes, the political left and right eventually bend towards each other. 

Writing in the Wall Street Journal, Greg Ip named this coalition the “Horseshoe Party.” As he sees it, leading this hypothetical party are Vice President JD Vance on the populist right and New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani on the socialist left. The two agree on almost nothing, except for a deep suspicion of free markets, elites and the idea that government should stay out of markets.  

Unfortunately, the convergence extends well beyond Ip’s theoretical party. 

President Trump has directed the government to take stakes in private companies, a position traditionally anathema to Republicans. Last year, Sens. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) joined to co-sponsor a bill aimed at capping credit card interest rates — a policy originating with Trump. The House’s companion bill was introduced by Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) and Anna Paulina Luna (R-Fla.), who authored a children’s book suggesting former President Biden stole the 2020 election and refers to herself as a “pro-life extremist.”

Likewise, Sens. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Bernie Moreno (R-Ohio) have teamed up to raise taxes on high earners. And this month, Sanders and........

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