Progressives take on the Rust Belt
7/18/202632 min
First there was New York, then Colorado. But can a progressive candidate win in the Rust Belt?
This show was edited by Kasia Broussalian, fact checked by Esther Gim, mixed by Shannon Mahoney, video edited by Christopher Snyder and Benjamin Stephen, and hosted by Astead Herndon.
Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) with Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed during the "Fighting Oligarchy" tour. Photo by Sarah Rice/Getty Images.
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Clips
Transcript preview
First 90 secondsAstead Herndon· Host0:00
[upbeat music] The Democratic Party is at war with itself right now, and it's playing out in primary races all across the country. On one side, you have the centrist establishment Democrats making a familiar argument.
Haley Stevens· Soundbite0:13
We have to pick up Democrats in these swing states, and those are usually, uh, the more successful candidates are the moderate candidates.
Astead Herndon· Host0:20
On the other, it's the progressives, who argue that the country wants populist fighters who are looking to upend the status quo entirely.
Hasan Piker· Soundbite0:29
Together, we will usher in a generation of change.
Astead Herndon· Host0:33
And if there's one place where this civil war is playing out most clearly, it's definitely Michigan. There's a stark contrast there between the two candidates running in the Senate Democratic primary, Congresswoman Haley Stevens and former public health official, Dr. Abdul El-Sayed. Now, Stevens has the backing of the Democratic establishment, and people like Chuck Schumer. She says that El-Sayed is too left, too untested, and simply too extreme for a general election that Democrats have to win.
Haley Stevens· Soundbite1:04
The GOP is spending thousands of dollars to prop up your campaign because they think it, they will make it easier for Mike Rogers to win if you are the nominee.
Astead Herndon· Host1:14
In the end, it all comes down to the dreaded E word, electability, because that's the concept that's at the heart of the Democratic civil war, whether the party wants to admit it or not. If you're a person of color or a progressive or a woman, it