SouthernWorldwide.com – As Democrats strategize to regain control in the upcoming November midterm elections, several long-serving progressive incumbents within the party are facing significant threats to their seats.
Indications of these challenges are becoming increasingly apparent in closely contested primary elections across the nation. These races feature a diverse range of contenders, from a seasoned ally of former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who is now up against a candidate four decades her junior, to a senior New York lawmaker fending off an opponent backed by Mamdani.
While not all contests are defined by a stark ideological divide, a common theme among challengers is an anti-establishment platform. Additionally, many are advocating for a shift towards generational change in leadership.
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Despite the historical difficulty in unseating sitting lawmakers, there appears to be a growing sentiment among voters against incumbents. This election cycle has already seen four incumbents, including Republican Representatives Dan Crenshaw of Texas and Thomas Massie of Kentucky, lose their bids for re-election to primary challengers.
The following progressive lawmakers are among those who could potentially face the same fate.
Representative Dan Goldman, D-N.Y., aged 50, a notable opponent of former President Donald Trump and the lead counsel for the Democrats during Trump’s first impeachment trial, is currently campaigning as an endangered incumbent in a district that leans heavily Democratic, encompassing Lower Manhattan and parts of Brooklyn.
Brad Lander, 56, a former New York City Comptroller, has secured the support of Mamdani and prominent progressive figures in Congress. Lander is launching an insurgent campaign from Goldman’s left. Leading progressive Senators Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., and Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., along with the left-wing Working Families Party, are also backing his candidacy.
Despite endorsements from House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., and Governor Kathy Hochul, D-N.Y., Goldman’s path to a third House term may prove challenging. Recent polling indicates that Lander has established a substantial lead, even though Goldman, who is one of the wealthiest members of Congress, has outspent his progressive challenger.
Although Goldman has faced criticism from the left, he is a member of the Congressional Progressive Caucus (CPC). He has also supported numerous progressive proposals, including the abolition of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Green New Deal legislation, and Medicare-for-all. Should Democrats regain power in November, he has pledged to help lead a third impeachment of Trump.
However, the issue of Israel has emerged as a significant point of contention in this race. Lander has been a vocal critic of Goldman’s ties to the pro-Israel lobby AIPAC and his voting record on military aid to Israel.
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Lander has also characterized Israel’s actions in Gaza as a “genocide,” a term that Goldman has distanced himself from. Both candidates are Jewish.
Mamdani is also leveraging his political influence in another highly competitive New York City primary that could potentially end the congressional career of a senior progressive lawmaker.
Representative Adriano Espaillat, D-N.Y., who chairs the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, is facing a formidable challenge from Darializa Avila Chevalier, a socialist activist who participated in pro-Palestinian demonstrations at Columbia University.
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Mamdani introduced an unexpected element into Espaillat’s re-election campaign by making the surprising decision to endorse Avila Chevalier, 32, just weeks before the primary. This move has drawn sharp criticism from some within the Democratic establishment, with allegations that Mamdani had privately assured Espaillat of his support for his bid for a sixth House term, as reported by multiple outlets.
Espaillat, 71, is attempting to fend off a challenge from his left, despite being a member of the Congressional Progressive Caucus and supporting the dismantling of ICE. He also highlights his background as the first former undocumented immigrant elected to Congress.
Avila Chevalier has faced scrutiny over social media posts, which have since been deleted, where she expressed support for open borders, abolishing the police, and referred to former President Joe Biden as a “rapist,” according to CNN.
The district, which includes parts of Upper Manhattan and the West Bronx, is a progressive stronghold that strongly supported Mamdani’s mayoral campaign last year. Notably, Espaillat did not endorse Mamdani’s campaign until after Mamdani’s primary victory over former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, D-N.Y.
Jeffries, who represents an adjacent district in Brooklyn, has pledged to support Espaillat in securing a sixth House term.
“Adriano Espaillat has been a tremendous leader,” Jeffries stated to CNN. “He’s leading in terms of battling Donald Trump.”
Representative Debbie Wasserman Schultz, D-Fla., a member of the House Democratic leadership, is preparing for a challenging re-election campaign after Republicans redrew her heavily Democratic seat during the redistricting process earlier this year.
The 11-term incumbent has generated controversy after filing to run in a district with a plurality of Black voters, which has been represented by a Black lawmaker for over three decades.
She is anticipated to face four Black opponents in the August primary, including former Representative Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick, D-Fla. Cherfilus-McCormick is making a long-shot bid for the seat after resigning earlier this year amid an expulsion threat. She is also currently facing a federal criminal indictment related to alleged financial crimes, which could result in a prison sentence of over 50 years if convicted.
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Local Black leaders had publicly urged Wasserman Schultz to seek a different seat, but she proceeded with her campaign for the Democratic nomination in Florida’s 20th Congressional District.
While the four Black candidates have reportedly discussed consolidating their support behind a single individual to challenge Wasserman Schultz, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., has thus far declined to intervene on her behalf.
When questioned by reporters, the leading Democrat has consistently stopped short of offering his endorsement, despite his established history of supporting incumbents. Jeffries has praised Wasserman Schultz’s congressional record extensively but has indicated concern that her victory could potentially reduce Black representation in Congress.
“I think we all recognize the sensitivities of the moment in terms of an unprecedented Jim Crow-like assault on Black political representation that has been unleashed by the Supreme Court’s outrageous decision to gut the Voting Rights Act,” Jeffries remarked during a press conference earlier in June when asked about Wasserman Schultz’s candidacy. “And it’s an environment that all of us need to be sensitive to as we move forward.”
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Representative Doris Matsui, D-Calif., advanced to the general election in November after successfully navigating California’s top-two primary system last week. However, her progressive challenger garnered a higher percentage of the vote.
Mai Vang, 41, a progressive member of the Sacramento City Council campaigning on generational change, is seeking to unseat Matsui, 81, who is twice her age. As of Thursday, Vang had outperformed Matsui by one percentage point in the primary contest.
The Democratic candidates will compete for the Democratic-leaning district in November, having effectively eliminated the sole Republican candidate from the race.
Matsui has represented the district, anchored in Sacramento, for over two decades and had not faced a significant primary challenger until Vang. Her late husband, Robert Matsui, previously held the seat for approximately 25 years before his passing in 2005.
Matsui has long been an ally of Pelosi, who endorsed her campaign for a 12th House term. Pelosi has also contributed to her campaign.
Vang has received endorsements from the progressive, anti-incumbent organization Justice Democrats and Our Revolution, a group founded by former staffers of Bernie Sanders following his unsuccessful 2016 presidential campaign.
She faced scrutiny during the primary campaign after videos surfaced showing her refusing to face the American flag and recite the Pledge of Allegiance during city council meetings.
Representative Al Green, D-Texas, one of the most vocal critics of Trump in Congress, lost his bid for a 12th House term in May.
Green, 78, was unsuccessful in a Democratic primary runoff election for a Houston-area district against Representative Christian Menefee, D-Texas, 38. The two incumbents were pitted against each other in a Democratic-heavy district due to Republican redistricting efforts that effectively forced them to compete for the same seat.
Menefee, who was first elected to Congress in February, is regarded as a rising figure within the Democratic Party and ran on a platform advocating for new leadership.
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Green faced widespread condemnation for disrupting Trump’s addresses to Congress in two consecutive years. Following his outburst towards the president during a 2025 speech, Green was formally censured by Congress in a bipartisan vote.
Green has also made repeated attempts to impeach Trump. His most recent impeachment efforts since Trump’s return to office in 2025 were hindered, in part, by Democratic opposition.
Trump publicly mocked Green after his primary loss in a post on Truth Social.
“Congratulations to the Dumocrat Party!” Trump wrote. “Al Green, one of the most mentally deficient Congressmen in the history of our Country, has lost, in a landslide, his seat in Congress — but I will miss that lunatic not screaming and violently waving his cane at me during my next State of the Union Speech.”
