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The three-way battle for the Democratic Party

18 17
17.07.2025
Zohran Mamdani, the Democratic nominee for New York City mayor, participates in an endorsement event with Congressman Adriano Espaillat at the United Palace Theater in Manhattan, New York, United States, on July 10, 2025. | Kyle Mazza/Anadolu via Getty Images

A three-sided debate has broken out over the Democratic Party’s future.

On one side is the party establishment, damaged by the disappointing end to the Biden era but seeking to rebrand itself with a new agenda it hopes will better appeal to voters.

Two main factions have emerged to challenge that establishment, from opposite directions. And they both have some recent news to be happy about.

The first is the Abundance faction. This faction argues that the Democratic Party has become overly focused on pleasing progressive interest groups and nowhere near focused enough on building things like housing, infrastructure, and clean energy. Abundance won a major victory two weeks ago, when California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed new laws loosening restrictions on homebuilding in cities.

The second faction is the left, reinvigorated by Zohran Mamdani’s triumph in the New York City Democratic mayoral primary. Charismatic, savvy with new media, and armed with sweeping leftist policy proposals — rent freezes, free buses and child care, city-owned grocery stores — Mamdani instantly became the left’s new standard-bearer.

Both these factions — each composed of commentators, advocates, operatives, online influencers, and some actual politicians —........

© Vox