Left-leaning challengers in the Rust belt are throwing chaos into a divided party struggling to rebuild after Trump’s win

From Detroit to Pennsylvania to Buffalo, New York, and here in Ohio, insurgent, progressive Democrats are defeating their long-established colleagues in dozens of school board, city council and mayoral races, throwing the already-divided national party into chaos, even as polls indicate it stands to potentially benefit at next year’s midterm elections due to the Trump administration’s divisive policies.

In Lancaster, Pennsylvania, one of seven swing states whose voters in recent years have decided the country’s presidential election, 37-year-old Jaime Arroyo was elected mayor on 4 November, becoming the first Latino mayor in the city’s 295-year history. In La Crosse, Wisconsin, another swing state, Shaundel Washington-Spivey, the city’s first Black and out gay mayor, beat a fellow Democratic party candidate with extensive local government experience last April.

Candidates such as Turner-Sloss, Arroyo and Washington-Spivey are campaigning on combating rising housing costs and providing better public transit infrastructure at a time when affordability issues and federal government policies are driving many working families into crisis.

  • bluemoon@piefed.social
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    2 days ago

    this phrasing is biased in a scare-mongering way

    no, it’s not a monster driving fear into a few true Democrats

    it’s Democrats with integrity resuming course against oligarch traitors who don’t belong in politics after sabotage to the american people time and time again

    this is a long time coming and we applaud

    • buddascrayon@lemmy.world
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      6 hours ago

      This article more commentates on where The Guardian stands on this. It’s pretty obvious they are an establishment Democratic party supporter much like virtually every “liberal” media outlet in existence.

    • angstylittlecatboy@reddthat.com
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      1 day ago

      I mean, I find it hard to not read “the Dem establishment is scared” as a positive. Even if I’m seeing outside my own hatred for the establishment, disestablishmentarianism is generally a winning position in the US (Trumpism could succinctly be described as “dumb disestablishmentarianism”)

    • Gaja0@lemmy.zip
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      1 day ago

      I’m just saying, conservatives don’t complain about the nazis as much as democrats complain about progressives

      • finitebanjo@piefed.world
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        24 hours ago

        Democrats are progressive. Their policies tax the rich, enable the poor, protect the environment, and remove money from politics.

          • finitebanjo@piefed.world
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            22 hours ago

            You haven’t defined who they are, but the first example in the article is Shenise Turner-Sloss, the logistics manager for the local military base, defeating 78 year old incumbent Jeffrey Mims, the leader of the local Teachers Union.

            • tree_frog_and_rain@lemmy.world
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              20 hours ago

              They being the establishment Democrats. And working as a civilian at the local air force base isn’t exactly a red flag to me. I mean, I held my nose and voted for the DA. Even ignoring her policies on fracking and the campaign advice she was getting from her brother in law. The brother in law who is quite complicit in destroying the working class btw.

              Anyway, here’s some nuance from Wikipedia concerning Turner-Sloss. Her backing by many progressive organizations. And how the establishment Democratic Party for the county conspired against her. They are the they I am referring too.

              "Turner-Sloss was first elected in 2021, garnering about 29% of the votes in the 4-way general election.[13][15][16] She campaigned alongside incumbent commissioner Darryl Fairchild,[17] who finished in second and was re-elected to another term. In that election Turner-Sloss was endorsed by the Ohio Working Families Party,[18] Our Revolution Ohio, the Dayton chapter of the Sunrise Movement,[19] and other progressive organizations and labor unions including her own, the American Federation of Government Employees local 1138.[2]

              Though a member of the Democratic Party, she has been considered “outside the establishment”.[20] She was not endorsed by the Montgomery County Democratic Party during any of her campaigns, including the successful one in 2021. In fact, the Montgomery County Democratic Party released attack ads against Turner-Sloss and Fairchild, for which the Ohio Democratic Party issued an apology, stating that the ads “violated several of their mailer policies.”.[21] The controversy resulted in the resignation of the county party’s Executive Director,[22] the retirement of the county party Chair,[23] and an official apology of the county party Central Committee which stated that “Commissioner Fairchild and candidate Turner-Sloss – and all their supporters – are valued members of the county party.”[22]

              • finitebanjo@piefed.world
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                17 hours ago

                If you held ypur nose and voted for the DA then idk why tf you’re arguing with me for saying we shouldn’t be voting for Jill Stein.

                We both agree the Dems are the progressives.

                • tree_frog_and_rain@lemmy.world
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                  6 hours ago

                  Your parent comment got nine down votes and coupled with this one I’m going to just call it what it is, you were trolling.

                  So don’t act all surprised Pikachu that somebody is arguing with you.

      • BanMe@lemmy.world
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        1 day ago

        I only ever see it the other way, progressives complaining about democrats not being pure enough, not being hardcore enough, while they don’t have to go actually campaign and win votes in those areas to understand why the democrats have to moderate themselves to appeal to actual voters.

        • CheeseNoodle@lemmy.world
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          24 hours ago

          I’ve never really seen any purity tests unless shit like ‘It would be nice if rich people had to obey the law’ is a purity test.

          • Ryanmiller70@lemmy.zip
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            8 hours ago

            The people who complain about “purity tests” view “stop committing and assisting in genocide” as one.

        • BarneyPiccolo@lemmy.today
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          1 day ago

          Establishment Dems have spent too much time listening to the Conservative Propaganda Machine, and have come to believe that we are a right wing nation, and have become essentially the Republican-Lite Party.

          Progressives are finally reminding the cowardly Establishment Dems that they owe their loyalty to the left, and it’s time to stop appeasing MAGAs.

          If the Dems ever get our government back, it won’t be enough to be just another placeholder administration whose primary responsibility is to just mark time while the American people forget MAGAs treason and corruption, and let them cheat their way into power again.

          MAGA is not a political party, it is an organized criminal entity disguised as a political party. The next time, the Dems have to show true courage, and ruthlessly purge MAGA from our government and our society, and prohibit any MAGA from ever holding office under 14A/S3.

    • Tm12@lemmy.ca
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      2 days ago

      “Some democrats aren’t asshole politicians finally. Here’s 17 reasons why that’s bad” - some shit rag in NY probably