Democrats are striving to regain control of Congress, yet divisions stemming from fierce competition leading up to the November elections threaten to undermine the party's bid to wrest power from the Republicans—the party of President Donald Trump.
As the battle for control of both chambers of Congress intensifies, Democrats have sought to move past the bitterness of primary contests; however, prominent party figures in several swing states have withheld endorsements or refrained from campaigning for the candidates running in the U.S. midterm elections scheduled for November 3. In Maine, the governor has not yet endorsed the Democratic Senate nominee. In Texas, a House member refused to campaign for the state legislator who defeated her in the Senate primary. In Michigan, centrist Democrats are shying away from supporting the party’s progressive Senate candidate. In New York, Democratic Socialists who won primaries are criticizing congressional Democrats for joining Republicans in denouncing socialism. Meanwhile, in Florida, the party has yet to fully rally around its Senate nominee.
"Whether you are a progressive, a mainstream Democrat, or a conservative Democrat, we all share a common interest in getting every candidate across the finish line in November," said progressive Democratic Representative Summer Lee of Pennsylvania, who is seeking re-election. She warned that if Democrats fail to unite and win at least one chamber of Congress, "everything we work on after that will become much harder."
Internal rifts threaten Democratic hopes of regaining control of Congress in the US.
