Who are the Democrats running in the midterms, and where do they stand? Our US political reporters are live now to discuss the state of the Democrats, the party’s moderate and leftwing candidates and key races to watch Sign up or sign in to post a question Lauramax100 asks: Could being too united be a bad thing? It was a real turn-off when party elders tried so hard to interfere in the NYC mayoral election even after primary voters made their choice. Could celebrating a broad coalition and letting local people choose be a better approach? The Republicans weren’t totally united pre-Trump, and arguably his attempt to have an iron grip on all GOP politicians may be one part of that party’s undoing. Joseph: Unity can easily tip into groupthink, and the reluctance of leaders like Schumer and Jeffries to back Mamdani after he clearly (resoundingly?) won the primary looked to many like exactly that … the elite and old guard second-guessing where the voters have moved, which is why even allies like AOC called it a bad look. Trump’s “iron grip” model has won elections, but I’d argue it’s brittle: it depends on near-total deference to one man, punishes dissent that might otherwise catch mistakes early, and leaves the party with little to correct course once he’s gone. The Democrats’ instinct to litigate every nominee’s ideological purity risks the opposite type of failure. It’s a party so busy relitigating primaries that it struggles to actually fight the other side. They must come to terms with what the voters are not asking for, but now demanding of their elected officials. David: I agree with Joseph that the Trump cult is brittle: like an authoritarian regime, investing so much in one leader means a lack of flexibility and diversity of thought. And, like an authoritarian regime, Republicans will now have to wrestle with the succession question of who comes next. Democrats holding feisty debates of ideas is a healthier way to go. But as we’ve seen, especially in the social media era, that can easily become corrosive and turn into a circular firing squad. Some have observed that Democratic moderates are more venomous towards progressives than they are towards Republicans! They have to get the balance right and unite around their nominee in 2028. Rachel Leingang: There are so many interesting races this year – and I don’t think there will be one clean narrative about who wins. El-Sayed’s race remains one of the most interesting, though Democrats (and a couple independents) in typically redder places could win running economic populist campaigns that largely avoid cultural issues, and there will likely be more progressives in Congress based on who won the primaries. I’m based in the Midwest, so I’m paying close attention to: – David Crowley vs Tom Tiffany in the Wisconsin governor’s race Continue reading...