In the last few weeks, centrist Democrats, including former US president Barack Obama, have expressed concern about Democratic primary candidates moving too far to the left, as Senators Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren, the top progressive candidates, continue to command a major share of grassroots support. Centrists worry that progressives will not be able to mobilise the wider Democratic base or secure enough swing voters to defeat Republican President Donald Trump in the general election next year.
For these centrists, the election’s main goal is to defeat Trump. Progressives, on the other hand, believe that it is not enough to defeat Trump but that they must also reform the political system of which he is a symptom. In their view, if the system, which has been corroded by moneyed interests, is not fixed, it will lead to greater economic inequality and environmental collapse. Centre-left candidates such as Joe Biden and Michael Bloomberg have significant financial backing, but in the last three months Sanders and Warren raised more money than the other Democrat candidates, mostly through small donations made online. This suggests a level of grassroots support that their rivals cannot match, and an enthusiasm in the electorate for greater political change than is offered by those closer to the political centre.
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