Democrats are seeking to retake control of Congress in November’s midterm elections, but a swath of cutthroat primaries in House districts they seek to flip could blunt the party’s momentum.
In swing seats across the country, establishment Democrats are facing off against candidates hailing from the party’s far-left flank. The growing number of intraparty battles has sparked concerns that nominating left-wing candidates could complicate Democrats’ efforts to flip GOP-held seats in 2026.
Some Democratic strategists have cited Tennessee Democratic candidate Aftyn Behn’s loss in December as a prime example of the risk of nominating a staunch progressive to run in a Republican-leaning district.
Though Behn kept the special election race within single digits — in a district President Donald Trump had carried by 22 percentage points in 2024 — some Democrats have argued the contest could have been within reach for the party if it had backed a more centrist candidate who more closely matched the views of the district.
“Each time we nominate a far-left candidate in a swing district who declares themselves to be radical and alienates the voters in the middle who deliver majorities, we set back that cause,” Lanae Erickson, senior Vice President for Social Policy, Education & Politics, at liberal think tank Third Way said in a statement following Behn’s loss.
“Might’ve been winnable with the right candidate, but Aftyn ‘I’m a very radical person’ Behn was not it,” Democratic strategist Simon Balezon wrote on X.
National Republicans are also eager to tie Democrats running in purple districts to New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s brand of democratic socialism. The increasing number of primary contests could also force Democrats to spend considerable resources in the primary while GOP incumbents rake in cash for the general election.
“Democrats are trapped in a civil war of their own making, dragged left by Zohran Mamdani radicals while their swing seats bleed money,” NRCC spokesman Mike Marinella said in a statement. “This is what a party in panic looks like.”
House Democrats’ campaign arm countered that the number of primaries are a product of the party’s strong performance in the 2025 off-year elections and lead in the generic ballot. Republicans, however, continue to hold a higher favorability rating than Democrats and GOP incumbents have largely maintained an edge in fundraising over their Democratic challengers.
“Every poll and election result this year point to one reality: voters are tired of Republicans’ broken promises and are poised to deliver major wins for Democrats in the midterms,” Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) spokesperson Viet Shelton told the Daily Caller News Foundation. “It’s why we are fielding such a large and incredibly strong class of candidates across the country while Republicans are not.”
Contentious Democratic primaries with notable ideological and factional divides are playing out in the following four battleground districts. Given House Republicans’ razor-thin majority, these swing seats are likely to help decide House control during the midterms.
California’s 22nd DistrictÂ
Democrats are locked in a fierce contest to unseat moderate Republican California Rep. David Valadao, who has successfully fended off Democratic challenges over consecutive cycles. Valadao’s reelection bid became more difficult after Democratic California Governor Gavin Newsom’s gerrymander redrew the majority-Hispanic district from one Trump won by six percentage points in 2024 to one the president would have carried by only two points.
College professor and school board trustee Randy Villegas, 31, is running for the majority-Hispanic district as a staunch progressive. He has secured independent Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders’ endorsement and is affiliated with the left-wing Working Families Party.
Villegas has also tapped political strategist Morris Katz, who helped steer New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s left-wing populist campaign, to cut ads for his congressional run.
California state legislator Jasmeet Bains, 40, is running on a more moderate platform. She has rolled out a slate of endorsements from establishment California Democrats and EMILYs List, a pro-abortion organization supporting female candidates.
Villegas has flexed his progressive credentials by swearing off corporate PAC money and including Medicare for All in his campaign platform — a universal taxpayer-funded health proposal that has divided Democrats.
Valadao entered October with nearly $1.8 million on hand, dwarfing Bains and Villegas who both reported less than $300,000 in the bank. With the retirement of Republican Washington Rep. Dan Newhouse, Valadao is the only remaining House Republican who voted to impeach Trump in 2021 seeking reelection in 2026.
Colorado’s 8th DistrictÂ
Republican Colorado Rep. Gabe Evans, a freshman lawmaker, is facing several Democratic challengers in a purple district that narrowly voted for Trump.
Colorado progressive Manny Rutinel, 30, is vying for the Democratic nomination against fellow state legislator Shannon Bird, 56, who is running on a more moderate platform.
Rutinel has pledged to not accept corporate PAC donations and has won the support of the left-leaning Congressional Hispanic Caucus’ campaign arm.
Bird is backed by EMILYs List and WelcomePAC, a center-left organization working to elect Democratic candidates in Trump-won districts. She announced her resignation from the state legislature in early December to focus on her congressional run.
Evans leads the field in fundraising and ended 2025’s third fundraising quarter with nearly $2 million in the bank. Rutinel has maintained an edge over Bird in fundraising. He ended September with $1 million on hand. (RELATED: Seven Primaries That Could Tear Democrats Apart In 2026)
Pennsylvania’s 7th DistrictÂ
Five Democratic candidates are vying in a crowded primary to defeat Republican Pennsylvania Rep. Ryan Mackenzie in 2026. The freshman lawmaker representing a bellwether district in the Lehigh Valley is one of Democrats’ top targets in the midterms. The swing district backed Trump in 2024 after voting for former President Joe Biden in 2020.
Mackenzie, 43, defeated then-incumbent Democratic Pennsylvania Rep. Susan Wild by 1 point in 2024. Wild has endorsed Carol Obando-Derstine, a one-time staffer to former Democratic Pennsylvania Sen. Bob Casey, to challenge Mackenzie.
Pennsylvania Professional Firefighters Association president Bob Brooks leads the field in endorsements drawing support from progressives, such as Sanders and Democratic California Rep. Ro Khanna. Establishment Democrats, including Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, are also backing the union leader’s campaign.
Northampton County executive Lamont McClure and former federal prosecutor and Marine reservist Ryan Crosswell are also vying for the Democratic nomination.
Mackenzie maintains a significant fundraising edge over the pack of Democratic candidates.
The incumbent reported more than $1.4 million in the bank at the end of September. Crosswell closed the year’s 3rd fundraising quarter with more than $430,000 on hand, followed by McClure and Brooks, who both reported less than $300,000.
Arizona’s 1st DistrictÂ
Democrats are also divided over the best candidate to succeed retiring Republican Arizona Rep. David Schweikert.
The battleground seat vacated by Schweikert — who is running for governor — spans parts of wealthy North Phoenix, Scottsdale and Paradise Valley that Trump carried by three points in 2024.
Former Democratic state legislator Amish Shah, who narrowly lost to Schweikert as the district’s 2024 Democratic nominee, is mounting a comeback bid for the swing seat. The ex-lawmaker has the support of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus’ campaign arm, which is affiliated with House Democrats.
Former TV anchor Marlene Galán-Woods is backed by the Congressional Hispanic Caucus’ campaign arm and EMILYs List.
Galán-Woods came up short against Amish in the 2024 Democratic primary, placing third, and has argued the party should nominate a new face in 2026. She is the widow of late Republican Arizona Attorney General Grant Woods and was a registered Republican until 2018.
Trump endorsed Arizona Republican Party chairwoman Gina Swoboda to succeed Schweikert in October, though the president’s support has failed to stop other candidates from entering the race. Turning Point Action chief operating officer Tyler Bowyer excoriated Swoboda’s leadership in a post on X in October.
Former sports reporter, analyst and National Football League (NFL) kicker Jay Feely announced on Dec. 19 that he would run against Swoboda in the district’s Republican primary after previously running in the neighboring safely Republican 5th district. Feely switched seats a month and a half after Trump endorsed another GOP candidate for the 5th district but added that he likes Feely “very much” and suggested the former NFL player should run for another district or office.
Feely played in the NFL for 14 seasons including four with the Arizona Cardinals.
In another hotly-contested GOP-held seat, moderate and progressive factions of the Democratic Party have largely united around three-time Democratic candidate Rebecca Cooke, who is expected to face Republican Wisconsin Rep. Derrick Van Orden in the general election.
Cooke narrowly lost to Van Orden by roughly 12,000 votes in 2024. She notably outperformed former Vice President Kamala Harris by roughly three points, according to analysis by The Downballot.
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