Inside the hidden tensions at the DNC

• "I will be pursuing a progressive agenda with many members of the Progressive Caucus," Rep. Chuy García (D-Ill.) told Axios.
• "So we're going to have those tensions play out."

Driving the news: Harris has gone back on a multitude of progressive positions she took in 2020, including support for a fracking ban, single-payer health care, an assault weapons buy-back program and Supreme Court expansion.

• The Democratic platform codifies those shifts to the center and then some, removing references to universal health care from the 2020 platform while adding hawkish language on border security.
• Rep. Tom Suozzi (D-N.Y.), who won a special election in February by supporting a border crackdown, is slated to speak to the convention Wednesday about his views on immigration, Axios first reported.

What they're saying: García said he is "personally not comfortable" with the party's shift on border security, blasting it as a "defensive" and "reactive" response to GOP attacks.

• Rep. Delia Ramirez (D-Ill.) said she feels "the same way" as García, telling Axios: "The problem that we are in is that we cannot seem to separate [the] border from immigration reform."
• "Everyday Americans want to see a progressive agenda. ... This is the kind of work that you're going to hear us continue to talk about behind the scenes, publicly and everywhere we go," Ramirez said.
• Rep. Greg Casar (D-Texas) told Axios that progressives "have some real work to do … to stop letting Fox News drag our politics so far to the right" on issues like immigration, though he said he doesn't "put that on any presidential campaign."

Between the lines: Progressive lawmakers' willingness to talk openly about their concerns is notable given how successfully Democrats have played up their unity this year.

• It is a signal that while the intra-party divides that dominated the 2016 and 2020 election cycles have been placed on the back-burner this year, they aren't going anywhere in the long term.

Zoom in: Another tug-of-war playing out between progressives and the establishment is the convention's treatment of the pro-Palestinian "uncommitted" delegates who are pushing for speaking time and changes to the platform.

• Ramirez and Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.), the chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, told Axios they are among the lawmakers pushing the party to accommodate those demands to avoid alienating young and progressive voters.

• "I think that there is a willingness, so hopefully we can continue to move that forward," Jayapal said.

Yes, but: Some progressives insisted that these are fights that should be kept largely behind the scenes at least until after the election.

• "Look, the platform is always a challenge … but really what matters is the legislative agenda," said Jayapal.
• Rep. Jim McGovern (D-Mass.) told Axios: "Is the platform perfect? In my opinion, no. But I'm not looking for perfection. I'm looking for decency."

The other side: Moderates, too, are closing their ears to the argument that the party needs to do more to appease progressives.

• "Do they want to be right or do they want to win?" said Rep. Jared Moskowitz (D-Fla.). "If we want to win, then we need to appeal to not just Democrats. ... Once we're in power, we can have those discussions."

The bottom line: Nearly every lawmaker who spoke to Axios expressed hope that Harris would pursue a bold progressive agenda in office — though they acknowledged that will depend largely on whether Democrats hold full control of Congress.

• Still, they are not about to let her off the hook: "Many of us support a Green New Deal and a just transition to a society that is more sustainable, so those are all debates and fights we'll have after the election," said García.