Regardless of which candidate you support for president, the primary results and delegate math thus far make it crystal clear that Bernie Sanders is extremely unlikely to win the Democratic nomination. Either way, his candidacy has been a great thing for the party, because it has energized our base, changed the terms of the debate over many important issues to progressives, and has given voters the opportunity to express their choice in a political system that often deprives them of one.
Sanders will ultimately lose, but if he’s serious about building a “political revolution,” he and his supporters absolutely must mobilize to send him more allies in Congress. The legislative branch is nearly as important as the presidency, and progressives can’t keep ignoring it when ultra-conservative Republicans certainly don’t. There are many key 2016 primary races where Democrats face a clear choice between a progressive stalwart who would grow the Sanders/Warren wing of the party and another more moderate candidate. There are also crucial general election battles between staunch progressives and Republican extremists that we absolutely must win.
Obama’s presidency has illustrated just how critical Congress is to accomplishing progressive change. Without a majority of friendly legislators, we have suffered years of gridlock and brinkmanship from intransigent, extremist Republicans. We need more Democrats to get our priorities passed, such as immigration reform, increasing the minimum wage, equal pay for women, tackling climate change, and installing a progressive majority to the Supreme Court. However, we also need better Democrats who can keep pushing the window of what’s possible and will prevent another debacle of partisan infighting like we had in 2009 because of centrist Blue Dogs.
The open-seat Senate election in Maryland is a prime opportunity to move the chamber to the left. While Rep. Chris Van Hollen is a perfectly mainstream Democrat, fellow Rep. Donna Edwards is one of the most progressive members in all of Congress. She brings the perspective of a non-privileged background to a body sorely lacking in diversity and has already won the backing of Daily Kos itself.
Another open Senate contest in a dark blue state sees progressive California attorney general Kamala Harris facing off against moderate Blue Dog Rep. Loretta Sanchez. Harris is widely considered a potential future presidential candidate while Sanchez has repeatedly embarrassed herself with racially insensitive remarks. Sanchez is counting on Republican support to beat Harris should she make the November runoff, thanks to California’s top-two primary (where the top two primary finishers advance to the general election regardless of party), which should make it a no-brainer for progressives to support Harris.
Primary contests aren’t the only opportunity progressives have to expand their Senate clout. Stalwart former Wisconsin Sen. Russ Feingold, once the lone vote against the Patriot Act, is running to oust the man who beat him in an upset in 2010, Republican Sen. Ron Johnson. Daily Kos has endorsed Feingold, who stands an excellent chance of winning because Johnson has always behaved like a Tea Partier representing Oklahoma rather than Wisconsin, but Democrats can’t afford to take anything for granted.
House contests get even less attention than they deserve compared to Senate contests, but there are key progressive opportunities there as well. Aforementioned Rep. Chris van Hollen’s open Maryland 8th District has a battle between progressive reformer state Sen. Jamie Raskin, journalist and former Marriott executive Kathleen Matthews (whose husband is MSNBC host Chris Matthews), and rich businessman David Trone, who previously donated over $150,000 to Republican candidates. Polling has shown a tight three-way race. There’s a good chance the Democratic nominee could hold down this dark blue district for many years, progressives can’t afford to make the wrong choice.
Progressive activist and law professor Zephyr Teachout, who waged an unsuccessful primary campaign against reactionary Democrat Andrew Cuomo for governor in 2014, is running for the open Republican-held 19th District in upstate New York that Obama carried by six points, a must-win seat for any Democratic majority. While Teachout may not be the ideal candidate for this seat (she only recently moved to the district, for instance), few other Democrats have stepped up, and she has won the support of many local party leaders. With the prospect of a Donald Trump or Ted Cruz nomination hurting Republicans at all levels, seats like this absolutely can elect a staunch progressive.
Nevada’s 4th District is a blue-leaning seat represented by Republican Rep. Cresent Hardy, who won a fluke 2014 upset and is one of the most vulnerable Republicans running for re-election. Democrats have a multi-candidate field including Harry Reid-supported state Sen. Ruben Kihuen and philanthropist Susie Kim, who has the support of EMILY’s List. However, former state Rep. Lucy Flores, the Democratic lieutenant governor nominee in 2014, is running as an unabashed progressive who has endorsed Bernie Sanders and led in multiple primary polls. While all three candidates would likely make a fine representative, Sanders supporters have a clear chance to elect one of their own with Flores.
These are just some of the many contests with clear ideological fault lines in 2016. If Sanders and his supporters truly want to build a political movement, they can’t simply focus on the presidency while ignoring other offices. Movement conservatives didn’t aim to just elect Ronald Reagan or give up on politics after he lost the nomination in 1976 to centrist Gerald Ford. They worked vigorously to elect hard-right members to Congress too, letting Reagan radically reshape our country for the worse when he finally won in 1980. Democrats have to take this lesson to heart and use it for good, because moving the needle left in Congress is essential to any progressive presidency.