How Grassroots Left is Reshaping Democratic Party Ahead of 2018 Midterms

Candidates Ayanna Pressley and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez have toppled establishment Democrats with openly progressive campaigns

By Bill Barrow and Bob Salsberg 

When Ayanna Pressley topped a 10-term congressman in a Massachusetts district once represented by John Fitzgerald Kennedy, she became the latest face of a burgeoning movement of the grassroots left. "This is a fight for the soul of our party and the future of our democracy," Ms Pressley said. That movement is reshaping a Democratic Party still searching for leaders and identity in the era of Donald Trump. 

What’s happening?

Grassroots activists on the left have a mixed record in Democratic primaries this election year, but the self-described progressive movement has scored enough victories to suggest its popularity is based on more than just protesting the Trump White House. The movement is also remoulding the Democratic Party into a younger, more diverse and decidedly liberal party. 

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Source: The Independent