The rise of DSA is killing off Resistance 1.0 Democrats

• "Being aggressive on accountability and corruption (such as with impeachment) is not enough," one House Democrat told Axios in a text message.
• Democratic primary voters, the Democrat said, "are looking for us to be more aggressive and bold on a whole host of issues. ... Standing up to Trump is a must, but it's not enough in 2026."
• Another House Democrat said of impeachment: "Members now realize that it's not that big of a deal. It's old hat ... Especially when you can't deliver."

Driving the news: Retired U.S. Army Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman, who rose to prominence as a witness in Trump's first impeachment, suffered an upset loss in the Democratic primary for U.S. Senate in Florida on Tuesday to DSA member Angie Nixon.

• Vindman — like his twin brother, Rep. Eugene Vindman (D-Va.) — used his reputation as a seminal Trump Resistance 1.0 figure to raise astonishing sums of money, bringing in more than $16 million as of July 29.
• Nixon, a three-term state representative, raised just under $1 million over the same period, while incumbent GOP Sen. Ashley Moody brought in roughly $11 million.

Zoom out: Vindman's loss comes after Rep. Diana DeGette (D-Colo.), an impeachment manager during Trump's second impeachment trial in 2021, lost to DSA-affiliated challenger Melat Kiros in a June 30 primary.

• Rep. Shri Thanedar (D-Mich.), who leaned heavily into impeaching Trump over the past two years, was also unseated by DSA-affiliated state Rep. Donavan McKinney.
• Rep. Dan Goldman (D-N.Y.), the highly visible lead counsel for the House Intelligence Committee during Trump's first impeachment, lost his primary to progressive former New York City comptroller Brad Lander.

Several other well-known anti-Trump figures either lost or withdrew from Democratic congressional primaries this year.

• The list includes Rep. Al Green (D-Texas), George Conway, Olivia Troye and Lev Parnas — though not all of them lost to more progressive rivals.

What they're saying: "In Trump's first term, grassroots anger was primarily focused on Donald Trump and Republicans. This time around … that anger extends to the Democratic establishment as well," said Joel Payne, a spokesperson for the progressive group MoveOn.

• "What we hear from our members is a clear demand for change and that includes within the Democratic Party. Voters are done with the status quo and every electoral result we are seeing validates that."

• Said progressive Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.): "The key issues motivating Democrats right now are Medicare for all, taxing billionaires, and no foreign wars, including no aid to Israel. Democrats want bold leadership on these issues in addition to standing up to Trump."

What we're hearing: Several lawmakers told Axios they believe this trend is weakening the momentum behind impeaching Trump in 2027.

• "If all we do is go back to the failed strategy of impeachment, we will find ourselves back in the minority pretty quickly," said a third House Democrat.
• A fourth said House Democrats "are much more focused on investigations than impeachment."

Yes, but: Others argued that the failure of these Democrats doesn't necessarily eliminate the possibility of Trump being impeached if the party retakes the House.

• "I don't think impeachment is a way to stardom," a fifth House Democrat said, but "for those that lost, I think it had more to do with them running bad campaigns."
• A sixth House Democrat told Axios: "I think once we start doing investigations, it will be something that could become inevitable. ... I haven't heard any lack of appetite for moving forward."

The bottom line: "Trying to impeach Trump isn't going to automatically win you a primary," said a seventh House Democrat, "you also have to have an ear to the ground in your district."