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Lisa Lerer, a New York Times national political correspondent, explains how recent allegations against the Senate candidate Graham Platner and his subsequent withdrawal from Maine's primary race have reignited a longstanding conflict between the progressive and establishment wings of the Democratic Party.
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As a rose-tinted wave of progressives and democratic socialists win Democratic primaries across the United States, we take a look at two of the organizations behind this recent slate of successful electoral campaigns: the Democratic Socialists of America and Justice Democrats.
From Claire Valdez and Darializa Avila Chevalier in New York to Melat Kiros in Colorado to Janeese Lewis George in Washington, D.C., major victories from self-described democratic socialists and DSA-backed candidates show that "socialism is losing its scare factor." Ashik Siddique, co-chair of the DSA's National Political Committee, explains that DSA's "goal is to reframe politics around class lines in the United States, which is what the ruling class has been doing forever. We want to transfer power from the 1% to the working class, and to replace capitalism with socialism, which means expanding democracy in every part of our lives."
By equipping progressives with alternatives to the traditional money streams relied upon by establishment Democrats, like the pro-Israel lobby or Big Tech, DSA and the progressive political action committee Justice Democrats hope to propel genuine advocates for the working class, unbought by corporate funding, into the halls of Congress.
"We went into this cycle viewing it as an existential one," says Alexandra Rojas, the executive director of Justice Democrats, which recruited candidates like Avila Chevalier and Adam Hamawy in New Jersey. "We see fascism here at our doorstep, and this is a now-or-never moment for our party."
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The state Democratic Party has said it will pick a replacement through a nominating convention before a July 27 deadline. Candidates are already lining up.
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Leaders of the Maine Democratic Party are still working toward a process to replace Graham Platner, without angering his supporters.
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