Progressive groups endorse primary challenges against Democratic incumbents

A group of progressive forces have mobilized to support Durham County Commissioner Nida Allam after she launched a Democratic primary challenge against Rep. Valerie Foushee of D.C. on Thursday. It’s the latest sign that the party’s far-left wing is preparing to push the Democratic establishment even further to the left ahead of the 2026 midterm elections.

As the Democratic Party claims to be “on the offensive” heading into the midterm elections, bolstered by two gubernatorial wins, success in California’s redistricting fight and an upset victory in Miami’s mayoral race, a growing group of progressive primary challengers threatens to reveal the party’s widening generational and ideological divide once again.

Allam entered the Democratic primary for North Carolina’s 4th Congressional District on Thursday with the support of progressive star Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., and a host of progressive groups, including Justice Democrats, The Leaders We Deserve, Sunrise Movement, Indian American Impact and the Working Families Party.

“I’m not here to stay silent while Washington fails us,” Allam said. campaign launch video. “I’m here to fight on behalf of the people who built this region. This seat doesn’t belong to lobbyists and billionaires. It belongs to us. To fight against Trump’s authoritarianism and corporate greed and to use every dollar, resource, and tool to build a brighter future for every North Carolinian.”

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Allam accused Foushee of being “quiet” this year as North Carolina’s 4th Congressional District faces federal funding cuts, particularly to research grants, tied to President Donald Trump’s second-term agenda and Elon Musk’s mandate to reduce government waste, fraud and abuse.

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Foushee did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.

Former Democratic National Committee Vice Chairman David Hogg, 25-year-old activist and founder of The Leaders We Deserve. said thursday He said he was “proud” to support Allam’s primary campaign.

Hogg sparked an intraparty dispute earlier this year when he announced through his super PAC, the Leaders We Deserve, that he would invest millions in support of older, incumbent Democrats who he said were “asleep at the wheel.”

The Leaders We Deserve led a nationwide effort to elect young, progressive candidates to Congress and statewide legislatures across the United States.

David Hogg speaks at the Fast Company Innovation Festival in New York City on September 17, 2024. (Eugene Gologursky/Getty Images for Fast Company)

The group has supported high-profile progressive Democrats this year. New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani and congressional candidate and Gen Z activist Deja Foxx, who lost a special election this year to Rep. Adelita Grijalva, D-Ariz.

Hogg resigned as vice chairman earlier this year after DNC Chairman Ken Martin gave him an ultimatum to abandon his involvement with the Leaders We Deserve or resign as vice chairman. Hogg resigned amid a procedural challenge to his election, citing party politics as having played a role in removing him from office; A charge the DNC denies.

The 25-year-old’s plan to challenge Democrats in the primary in safe, blue districts has triggered a debate about the future of the party; because Democrats have spent most of 2025 without a clear message or leader after losses up and down last year’s ballot measure.

On the heels of Mamdani’s success in New York City — a race that has taken national politics by storm as socialist millennials have been elected to lead the largest city in the United States — more progressive, anti-establishment House candidates are entering races across the United States.

Mayor-Elect Zohran Mamdani speaks at Flushing Meadows Corona Park on Wednesday, November 5, 2025 in New York City. (Adam Gray/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

As California redraws its congressional map ahead of next year’s midterms, the Leaders We Deserve is supporting progressive Planned Parenthood leader Lauren Babb Tomlinson for California’s 6th Congressional District and educator Randy Villegas for California’s 22nd District.

The Leaders We Deserve backs Harris County Attorney as Texas finalizes representation under new congressional maps Christian Menefee is in the race for Texas’ 18th Congressional District, while longtime Rep. Al Green, who currently represents the 9th District, is also poised to run for the seat in 2026.

The progressive group is also backing Menefee in the 18th District special election this January.

The Leaders We Deserve also includes Democratic Rep. Shri Thanedar, D-Mich. and has also supported Michigan state Rep. Donavan McKinney in the Democratic primary challenge against Tennessee state Rep. Justin J. Pearson’s bid for longtime Democratic Rep. Steve Cohen’s seat in the 2026 Democratic primary.

House Speaker Rep. Emerita Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., comments on the U.S. Capitol steps in Washington, D.C., on Nov. 19, 2024. (Alex Wong/Getty Images)

Two high-profile Democratic rivals in San Francisco announce campaigns for former House Speaker Nancy PelosiBefore taking on ‘s congressional seat, he confirmed plans to retire at the end of next year from the seat he has held since 1987.

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s (D-Y) former chief of staff, Saikat Chakrabarti, and state Sen. Scott Wiener are running to Pelosi’s left as part of a broader coast-to-coast fight for the Democratic Party’s progressive base.

Chakrabarti is also the co-founder of Justice Democrats, a super PAC focused on bringing a new generation of leaders to Congress, who endorsed Allam this week.

Like the Leaders We Deserve, Justice Democrats have thrown their support behind primary challenges from a number of progressive Democrats, including McKinney in Michigan and Pearson in Tennessee.

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., leaves a press conference followed by former chief of staff Saikat Chakrabarti on Monday, July 15, 2019. (Photo by Tom Williams/CQ Polling)

Justice Democrats also support former Rep. Cori Bush’s comeback campaign for Missouri’s 1st Congressional District; That campaign is currently being run by the relatively more moderate Rep. Wesley Bell, who defeated Bush in the Democratic primary last year.

The group also endorsed Angela Gonzales-Torres for California’s 34th Congressional District; that district is currently occupied by Rep. Jimmy Gomez, D-Calif.; Melat Kiros for Colorado’s 1st Congressional District against incumbent Democratic Rep. Diana DeGette; and Darializa Avila Chevalier of New York’s 13th Congressional District are challenging longtime Rep. Adriano Espaillat, D-N.Y.

And just this week, Brad Lander got his own high-profile endorsement in his primary challenge against Rep. Dan Goldman, DY, who refused to endorse Mamdani’s mayoral campaign.

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While Lander is seen as the more progressive candidate for his direct condemnation of the war in Gaza, Goldman told CBS New York’s Marcia Kramer that he fears Mamdani won’t do enough to protect New York’s Jews.

Since Lander launched his campaign, Mamdani, Sanders, Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass. and received support from the Working Families Party of New York.