{"id":46171,"date":"2026-08-15T07:18:53","date_gmt":"2026-08-15T02:18:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=46171"},"modified":"2026-08-15T07:18:53","modified_gmt":"2026-08-15T02:18:53","slug":"whats-next-for-democrats-in-november-and-2027-from-the-politics-desk","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=46171","title":{"rendered":"What\u2019s next for Democrats \u2014 in November and 2027: From the Politics Desk"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><script>\r\n  atOptions = {\r\n    'key' : '644b717812d811d6a1c1fc5b6ccd6fa6',\r\n    'format' : 'iframe',\r\n    'height' : 90,\r\n    'width' : 728,\r\n    'params' : {}\r\n  };\r\n<\/script>\r\n<script src=\"https:\/\/www.highperformanceformat.com\/644b717812d811d6a1c1fc5b6ccd6fa6\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\r\n<br \/>\n<br \/><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/media-cldnry.s-nbcnews.com\/image\/upload\/t_fit_1500w\/rockcms\/2026-08\/260805-el-sayed-rs-7c3675.jpg\" \/><\/p>\n<div>\n<p id=\"anchor-bfadf2\" class=\"body-graf\"><em>In today\u2019s edition, \u201cMeet the Press\u201d moderator Kristen Welker looks at Democrats\u2019 recent primary results and digs into what they might mean for governing next year. Plus, President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance answer questions on the war with Iran.<\/em><\/p>\n<p id=\"anchor-ecea62\" class=\"body-graf\"><a href=\"https:\/\/link.nbcnews.com\/join\/5cj\/nbc-news-politics-signup\" target=\"_blank\"><em>Sign up to receive this newsletter in your inbox every weekday here.<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n<p id=\"anchor-061a00\" class=\"body-graf\"><em>\u2014 Scott Bland<\/em><\/p>\n<hr class=\"body-hori-rule\"\/>\n<h2 id=\"anchor-b5dbbe\" class=\"body-heading\"><strong>What\u2019s next for Democrats?<\/strong><\/h2>\n<h3 id=\"anchor-829871\" class=\"body-heading\">Analysis by Kristen Welker<\/h3>\n<p id=\"anchor-edc48d\" class=\"body-graf\">Recent Democratic primaries have exposed some deep and important divisions within the party, shaping not just midterm strategy but also how Democrats might govern if they win. <\/p>\n<p id=\"anchor-2390fa\" class=\"body-graf\">Progressives <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcnews.com\/politics\/2026-election\/rep-john-larsons-defeat-connecticut-makes-10-house-members-lost-primar-rcna592119\">rode a wave of energy<\/a> to squeak out a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcnews.com\/politics\/2026-election\/progressives-expand-reach-money-finds-limit-takeaways-tuesdays-primari-rcna590774\">narrow victory in Michigan<\/a>, where Democrat <strong>Abdul El-Sayed <\/strong>becomes one of the movement\u2019s most important figures as he battles in a must-win Senate race this fall. And they scored another feather in their cap in Minnesota, where <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcnews.com\/politics\/2026-election\/progressive-peggy-flanagan-wins-minnesota-democratic-senate-primary-rcna591627\">Lt. Gov. <strong>Peggy Flanagan<\/strong>\u2019s victory<\/a> makes her the front-runner to be the state\u2019s next senator. <\/p>\n<p id=\"anchor-c9365b\" class=\"body-graf\">But while that progressive energy is unmistakable on the left, they don\u2019t have an undeniable mandate within their party. El-Sayed won by a hair, and Wisconsin\u2019s <strong>Francesca Hong <\/strong>fumbled a big polling lead in the state\u2019s gubernatorial primary <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcnews.com\/politics\/2026-election\/david-crowley-pulled-unbelievable-winning-wisconsin-dropping-rcna591883\">in her own narrow loss this week<\/a>. <\/p>\n<p id=\"anchor-4b7444\" class=\"body-graf\">That\u2019s why some progressives are tacking toward the center to appeal to swing voters \u2014 like how Flanagan didn\u2019t directly tell me <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcnews.com\/meet-the-press\/video\/wisconsin-democrat-david-crowley-calls-for-big-tent-after-narrowly-beating-francesca-hong-268272709985\">on Thursday\u2019s \u201cMTP Now\u201d<\/a> whether or not she supported abolishing ICE (she\u2019s called to \u201crip apart\u201d the agency). It\u2019s why other Democrats like new Wisconsin governor nominee <strong>David Crowley <\/strong>have emphasized the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcnews.com\/meet-the-press\/video\/wisconsin-democrat-david-crowley-calls-for-big-tent-after-narrowly-beating-francesca-hong-268272709985\">need for his party to have a \u201cbig tent\u201d<\/a> in order to win in November.   <\/p>\n<p id=\"anchor-a4f1b4\" class=\"body-graf\">These fascinating intraparty debates over issues like immigration, the economy, healthcare, Israel policy and data centers transcend the campaign trail. If Democrats get their wish and take back the House or the Senate, these debates will set up important governing questions for party figures like Minority Leader <strong>Hakeem Jeffries<\/strong>, who hopes to become the next speaker of the House. <\/p>\n<p id=\"anchor-c0021f\" class=\"body-graf\">How will leaders like Jeffries balance the energy in the burgeoning progressive wing of the party heading into 2028? And what will that mean for some of the top progressive priorities on healthcare, immigration and criminal justice \u2014 issues that have energized the left but that Republicans have used to argue the whole Democratic Party is captive to progressives? <\/p>\n<p id=\"anchor-16fa5d\" class=\"body-graf\">I\u2019ll speak about this, and more, with both Jeffries and California Democratic Rep. <strong>Ro Khanna <\/strong>on Sunday\u2019s \u201cMeet the Press.\u201d On top of that, Attorney General <strong>Todd Blanche <\/strong>will sit down with me just days after his confirmation. I hope you\u2019ll join us. <\/p>\n<hr class=\"body-hori-rule\"\/>\n<h2 id=\"anchor-e99650\" class=\"body-heading\">Trump and Vance sound off on the Iran war<\/h2>\n<p id=\"anchor-15e37c\" class=\"body-graf\">President <strong>Donald Trump <\/strong>today dismissed concerns from families of service members about <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcnews.com\/news\/us-news\/no-supplies-food-shortage-dark-thoughts-families-sailors-describe-life-rcna592446\" target=\"_blank\">the grim conditions<\/a> aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcnews.com\/politics\/donald-trump\/trump-dismisses-concerns-family-members-grim-conditions-uss-abraham-li-rcna592598\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>Julie Tsirkin<\/strong>, <strong>Rebecca Shabad<\/strong> and <strong>Mosheh Gains<\/strong> write<\/a>, amid anxiety about whether deployments have been overextended in the Middle East due to the Iran war.<\/p>\n<p id=\"anchor-d9023d\" class=\"body-graf\">In <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcnews.com\/news\/us-news\/no-supplies-food-shortage-dark-thoughts-families-sailors-describe-life-rcna592446\" target=\"_blank\">interviews with NBC News<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ms.now\/news\/uss-abraham-lincoln\" target=\"_blank\">other<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/news\/your-military\/2026\/08\/11\/multiple-uss-abraham-lincoln-sailors-have-tried-to-go-overboard-amid-extended-deployment-families-say\/\" target=\"_blank\">outlets<\/a>, family members of some of the thousands of people aboard the ship have described a lack of supplies and food and an overall deteriorating mental health situation with multiple sailors having attempted to jump overboard.<\/p>\n<p id=\"anchor-0e325f\" class=\"body-graf\">NBC News asked Trump, who was speaking to reporters at Joint Base Andrews, whether the deployments had gone on for too long and whether he was worried about troops\u2019 mental health.<\/p>\n<p id=\"anchor-d639a7\" class=\"body-graf\">\u201cNo. No. No \u2014 not nearly long enough,\u201d Trump said.<\/p>\n<p id=\"anchor-aa138b\" class=\"body-graf\">Trump also told reporters Friday that the Lincoln is \u201cmoving right now or very shortly\u201d and that \u201cit\u2019s being replaced with another very similar ship.\u201d The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcnews.com\/politics\/national-security\/uss-abraham-lincoln-replaced-poor-troop-conditions-rcna592141\" target=\"_blank\">USS George Washington is expected to replace the Lincoln <\/a>in the Middle East, a U.S. official told NBC News.<\/p>\n<p id=\"anchor-18e38f\" class=\"body-graf\">Meanwhile, <strong>Alexander Smith <\/strong>writes that keeping gas prices low <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcnews.com\/world\/iran\/low-oil-prices-trump-goal-iran-war-vance-blockade-economic-pressure-rcna592504\" target=\"_blank\">is now the United States\u2019 \u201cgoal No. 1\u201d in the Iran war<\/a>, Vice President <strong>JD Vance <\/strong>has said, as Washington threatened an indefinite naval blockade and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcnews.com\/world\/iran\/trump-iran-economic-pressure-tehran-hormuz-demands-rcna591671\" target=\"_blank\">signaled it would soon intensify economic pressure on Tehran<\/a>. <\/p>\n<p id=\"anchor-60f224\" class=\"body-graf\">\u201cI know that oil is down today and it\u2019s way down from the highs in the early days of the conflict,\u201d Vance told Fox News yesterday, before the latest uptick. \u201cThat\u2019s goal No. 1 \u2014 keep oil and gas cheap for Americans all over our country.\u201d<\/p>\n<p id=\"anchor-e95e7c\" class=\"body-graf\">He added: \u201cObviously, goal No. 2 is ensure that Iran never gets a nuclear weapon.\u201d Tehran insists it has no desire to develop one.<\/p>\n<p id=\"anchor-5adca5\" class=\"body-graf\">Trump and his team have offered various reasons for starting the conflict with Iran, initially saying they wanted to support mass anti-government protests, before prioritizing a desire to defang Iran\u2019s nuclear program and even topple the regime.<\/p>\n<p id=\"anchor-dd92d6\" class=\"body-graf\">Oil and gas was flowing relatively freely worldwide before the U.S.-Israeli attack, sparking a conflict that has increasingly centered on the tussle for control of the Strait of Hormuz \u2014 a waterway through which some 20% of the world\u2019s energy supplies traveled prior to the war.<\/p>\n<hr class=\"body-hori-rule\"\/>\n<div class=\"summary-box\" data-testid=\"summary-box\" id=\"anchor-f4ebec\">\n<div class=\"summary-box__content\">\n<h2 class=\"summary-box__headline\">\ud83d\uddde\ufe0f Today&#8217;s other top stories<\/h2>\n<ul class=\"summary-box__items\">\n<li><strong>\u2705 Primary colors: <\/strong>GOP Rep. <strong>Russell Fry<\/strong>, who unsuccessfully ran for Senate in South Carolina\u2019s special primary election earlier this week, endorsed Sen. <strong>Darline Graham <\/strong>in the runoff to fill her late brother\u2019s seat. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcnews.com\/politics\/trump-administration\/live-blog\/trump-congress-2026-elections-doj-live-updates-rcna592467\/rcrd118877?canonicalCard=true\" target=\"_blank\">Read more \u2192<\/a><\/li>\n<li><strong>\ud83c\udfaf Political opportunity: <\/strong>Democrat <strong>Brian Poindexter <\/strong>has built a unique coalition around the establishment and <strong>Bernie Sanders <\/strong>is sticking to his working-class message in a suddenly competitive Ohio race against GOP Rep. <strong>Max Miller<\/strong>. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcnews.com\/politics\/2026-election\/rep-max-millers-democratic-opponent-navigating-surreal-political-oppor-rcna592124\" target=\"_blank\">Read more \u2192<\/a><\/li>\n<li>\u274c <strong>Non-endorsement: <\/strong>Florida Gov. <strong>Ron DeSantis <\/strong>made it clear that he\u2019s not supporting the re-election campaign of Rep. <strong>Cory Mills<\/strong>, R-Fla., who is under investigation by the Justice Department and the House Ethics Committee. Mills has denied wrongdoing. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcnews.com\/politics\/politics-news\/Read more \u2192\" target=\"_blank\">Read more \u2192<\/a><\/li>\n<li>\ud83d\ude90 <strong>Van-dal life: <\/strong>A woman accused of vandalizing the World War II Memorial has been arrested in Washington, U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia <strong>Jeanine Pirro<\/strong> announced today. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcnews.com\/politics\/justice-department\/woman-arrested-felony-charges-world-war-ii-memorial-vandalism-case-rcna592546\" target=\"_blank\">Read more \u2192<\/a><\/li>\n<li>\ud83e\udd42 <strong>Having a ball: <\/strong>President <strong>Donald Trump<\/strong> today asked the Supreme Court to allow him to continue construction of a sprawling ballroom adjacent to the White House. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcnews.com\/politics\/supreme-court\/trump-appeals-supreme-court-white-house-ballroom-rcna266912\" target=\"_blank\">Read more \u2192<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<hr class=\"body-hori-rule\"\/>\n<p id=\"anchor-1dac49\" class=\"body-graf\"><em>That\u2019s all From the Politics Desk for now. Today\u2019s newsletter was compiled by Scott Bland.<\/em><\/p>\n<p id=\"anchor-811adb\" class=\"body-graf\"><em>If you have feedback \u2014 likes or dislikes \u2014 email us at <\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcnews.com\/politics\/politics-news\/mailto:politicsnewsletter@nbcuni.com\" target=\"_blank\"><em><strong>politicsnewsletter@nbcuni.com<\/strong><\/em><\/a><\/p>\n<p id=\"anchor-67d9a5\" class=\"endmark body-graf\"><em>And if you\u2019re a fan, please share with everyone and anyone. They can sign up <\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/link.nbcnews.com\/join\/5cj\/nbc-news-politics-signup\" target=\"_blank\"><em><strong>here<\/strong><\/em><\/a><em>. <\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<script async=\"async\" data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"https:\/\/pl30214220.effectivecpmnetwork.com\/9ab3d4df8a7e1a6171e16ddbf732cc19\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\r\n<div id=\"container-9ab3d4df8a7e1a6171e16ddbf732cc19\"><\/div>\r\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In today\u2019s edition, \u201cMeet the Press\u201d moderator Kristen Welker looks at Democrats\u2019 recent primary results and digs into what they might mean for governing next year. Plus, President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance answer questions on the war with Iran. Sign up to receive this newsletter in your inbox every weekday here. \u2014&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":46172,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/media-cldnry.s-nbcnews.com\/image\/upload\/t_nbcnews-fp-1200-630,f_auto,q_auto:best\/rockcms\/2026-08\/260805-el-sayed-rs-7c3675.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-46171","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-pics-news"],"brizy_media":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/46171","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=46171"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/46171\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/46172"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=46171"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=46171"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=46171"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}