Democrats in Va., N.J. spurn Bernie Sanders, AOC
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New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani, center, with Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), at an election rally this week in Queens. Photo: Andres Kudacki/Getty Images
The Democrats running for governor in Virginia and New Jersey have brought in scores of high-profile lawmakers and potential 2028 presidential contenders to campaign for them in the run-up to Tuesday's elections.
- But they pointedly haven't invited progressive leaders Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) or Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), who are two of the most popular figures among Democrats and attract big crowds across the country.
Why it matters: Former Rep. Abigail Spanberger (Virginia) and Rep. Mikie Sherrill (New Jersey) are betting that Sanders and Ocasio-Cortez would turn off independent voters even if they would rally Democrats.
- It's the latest volley in the battle over the Democratic Party's future, as some argue the party needs to be a centrist and pragmatic alternative to President Trump's GOP, and others say it needs to be bolder and more progressive to reclaim working-class voters.
Zoom in: Democrats expect to win both governors' races as well as the mayor's race in New York City — where democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani is favored — but the strategies in Virginia and New Jersey are wildly different from Mamdani's.
- Mamdani — like Sanders and Ocasio-Cortez — has run against the party establishment and embraced large, left-wing reforms that his opponents consider crazy and impractical.
- Those include creating government-run grocery stores, eliminating bus fares, freezing the rents for millions of people and raising the minimum wage to $30 by 2030.
Spanberger and Sherrill, meanwhile, have cast themselves as pragmatic leaders, emphasizing affordability and abortion rights — and opposing Trump. Sherrill, a military veteran, promises "ruthless competence."
- The Democrats who've made appearances for them include former President Obama, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, Arizona Sens. Mark Kelly and Ruben Gallego, Maryland Gov. Wes Moore, former Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel, former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, Rep. Jim Clyburn (D-S.C.), Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.), Rep. Jason Crow (D–Colo.), and more.
Between the lines: Spanberger and Sherrill's decisions to stay away from Sanders and Ocasio-Cortez reflects a familiar Democratic calculus: Center-left candidates may not be trendy on social media, but they can win elections.
- Many Democratic operatives and politicians believe Sanders' left-wing policy positions are politically toxic outside of places such as heavily Democratic New York City and California.
But Sanders, who frequently criticizes the Democratic Party as too timid and corporation-friendly, often polls as the most popular politician among Democrats.
- He and Ocasio-Cortez also have attracted huge followings this year, even as much of the Democratic base remains demoralized from the 2024 election and disapproves of the party's leadership.
- They helped catapult Mamdani to victory in the Democratic primary in New York City over the party's establishment, embodied by former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo.
They're boosted by left-wing Democrats who believe, as Mamdani has put it, that the party needs to embrace "a politics that can actually aspire for more than what you're living through," rather than celebrating "what little you have."
- In California, Gov. Gavin Newsom has featured Ocasio-Cortez prominently in ads promoting his redistricting referendum, which is on the ballot Tuesday.
What they're saying: A spokesperson for Sanders declined to comment. Spokespeople for Spanberger, Sherrill and Ocasio-Cortez did not respond to requests for comment.
What's next: No matter what the results are Tuesday, both sides of the Democrats' internal debate are likely declare victory — or point fingers at the other side for any loss.
- Tuesday is just the first round of the intraparty battle that will play out in the 2026 midterms and the 2028 presidential election.
