Pollster Lee Miringoff said on Thursday that he didn’t think the rift between progressive and centrist Democrats would carry over into November’s midterm elections.
“There’s a sense that is there really a split within the Democratic Party that’s carried over from the Clinton-Sanders contest in 2016? Or are the Democrats strong enough to be unified against Donald Trump this November,” Miringoff told Hill.TV’s Joe Concha on “What America’s Thinking.”
Miringoff’s comments come as more progressive upstarts are challenging the party’s lawmakers, most notably Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who defeated longtime Rep. Joe Crowley (D-N.Y.) in a stunning primary upset in New York’s 14th congressional district.
“When the race with Ocasio-Cortez broke loose…this notion that ‘see the Democrats are really moving further to the left this time,’ I’m not so sure that’s happened in other places,” he continued.
“Bernie Sanders endorsements haven’t done a whole lot. I’m not sure the rift within the Democratic Party is really a rift or an occasional crack that doesn’t really carry through to November. I think Democrats are probably stronger in their opposition to Donald Trump than having a split internal to them,” he added.
Sanders and Ocasio-Cortez have thrown their support behind an array of progressive candidates ahead of the midterms.
However, many of the candidates they have endorsed have been unsuccessful in their primaries. Only one of Sanders’ endorsed candidates, was successful in their respective primary races last week.
Progressive candidates running as Democrats are also vowing to shake up the party if they win, with a number of them declining to back House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) for the Speaker’s gavel if they retake the House.
— Julia Manchester
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