Democrats’ lurch to the left risks an epic backfiring Michael Koziol August 6, 2026 — 11:53am Save You have reached your maximum number of saved items. He ran a disciplined campaign – like Mamdani – with a tripartite slogan centred on Michiganders: “Money out of politics, money in your pocket, Medicare for all.” Progressive Democratic strategist Douglas Farrar says El-Sayed’s victory was an “unbelievable achievement in American politics”, given how critical funding usually is to election outcomes. Farrar is not convinced that by choosing candidates like El-Sayed, Democrats are making it harder for themselves to defeat Republicans in November. “What people want is change – and they don’t trust the establishment Democrats to deliver on that.”