Democrats launch The Bench group backing rising star candidates

Democrats are introducing The Bench, a new political group of rising star candidates aimed at restructuring the party.

The organization, which was officially launched by a handful of campaign veterans earlier this month, says its mission is to spend resources to build a bench full of candidates they highlight as “the future of the Democratic Party.”

The creation of the new group comes as Democrats aim to regain the House and Senate majorities in this year’s midterm elections, but the party is also suffering from historically low support and approval ratings.

The ruling party in Washington, D.C., which is clearly the GOP this year, normally faces stiff political headwinds in midterm elections. And recent national polls show President Donald Trump’s approval ratings remain quite weak; This is fueled in part by Americans’ continuing deep concerns about persistent inflation.

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But Democrats have their own polling problems; Multiple polls from a year ago show the party’s brand has reached historic lows.

In a statement, The Bench said the candidates they support “can help us repair our brand and are best positioned to win general election races and retain seats.”

The group plans to provide these candidates with “the tools, strategy, and support necessary to run serious, solutions-focused campaigns that challenge the status quo, connect with voters, and deliver real results for the people they serve.”

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The group, which includes prominent Democratic operative and strategist Lis Smith and communications expert Andrew Mamo, has been working for months to recruit and field three Senate candidates and a dozen House candidates.

Democratic Senate candidate Michigan state Sen. Mallory McMorrow is backed by a new Democratic-aligned group called “The Bench.” (Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images)

The Senate candidates are Michigan state Senate Majority Whip Mallory McMorrow, Texas state representative and Presbyterian seminarian James Talarico, and Iowa state Representative Josh Turek, Paralympic wheelchair basketball player.

In House races, the group is supporting Jamie Ager in North Carolina’s 11th Congressional District, Shannon Bird in Colorado’s 8th District, Bob Brooks in Pennsylvania’s 7th District, Cait Conley in New York’s 17th District and Mike Cortese in Tennessee’s 5th District.

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The list also includes Sam Forstag of Montana’s 1st District, Sarah Trone Garriott of Iowa’s 3rd District, Matt Maasdam of Michigan’s 7th District, Darren McAuley of Florida’s 15th District, Denise Blaya Powell of Nebraska’s 2nd CD District and Bobby Pulidio of Texas’ 15th District.

Democratic Senate candidate Texas State Representative James Talarico is backed by a new Democratic-aligned group called ‘The Bench.’ (Brandon Bell/Getty Images)

And this week, the group endorsed Nancy Lacore in South Carolina’s 1st District. Lacore, a 35-year military veteran who served as a Navy helicopter pilot and later as chief of the Naval Reserve, a 60,000-strong force, was relieved of his duties by Secretary of War Pete Hegseth last August..

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The group says the candidates they support range from progressives to centrists.

“These candidates are united not by ideology but by a willingness to break with Democratic defaults, speak honestly to their communities, and compete seriously on issues the party too often ignores,” the group said.

But National Republican Congressional Committee spokesman Mike Marinella told Fox News Digital: “The Democratic Party is a broken brand and combines it with extremely radical candidates. They’re too woke for the working class, too weak to do anything, and too lost to get out of the wilderness.”