Calls for generational change among Democrats are growing louder as the party seeks to chart a path forward going into the 2026 midterms.

On Wednesday, Democratic National Committee (DNC) Chair David Hogg’s group Leaders We Deserve PAC launched a $20 million effort aimed at primarying House Democratic incumbents in safe seats in hopes of electing younger candidates. A number of young progressive candidates have already launched primary bids against longtime incumbent House Democrats.

The efforts come as young, progressive figures in the party like Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) are playing a central role in galvanizing the party’s grassroots in large-scale rallies across the country.

“The Democratic Party says over and over again ‘we have to care about democracy, we have to care about democracy,’ and we do,” Hogg said in an interview with The Hill. “But the best way to do that is not just to say we need to care about democracy, it is to use democracy to actively help people improve their lives and show them how democracy is the best vehicle to do that.”

Grassroots anger has bubbled up against the Democratic establishment’s response to Trump during his first three months in office, reaching a fever pitch earlier this month when Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and a handful of other Democrats voted with Republicans to pass a House GOP-drafted budget resolution. The development further sparked speculation of a potential Senate primary battle between Schumer and Ocasio-Cortez.

“The leadership part is what you do around the procedural part to have a conversation with the public about who we are and who we want to be,” said Abdul El-Sayed, a progressive Senate candidate in Michigan. “There’s a lot more you can do when you embrace the leadership part of the job and you’re seeing leaders do that, folks like Sen. Sanders and Congresswoman Ocasio-Cortez.”

Ocasio-Cortez and Sanders appear to be resonating with swaths of voters and activists looking for new messaging in Trump’s second administration. In addition to attracting massive crowds at their “Fighting Oligarchy Tour,” Ocasio-Cortez........

© The Hill