Democrats see growing number of young progressive challengers

The Hill

06-04-2025

A growing number of Democratic incumbents are facing primary challenges from younger progressives, underscoring generational and ideological rifts within the party.
At least three long-serving members of the House — including former Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) — have already drawn younger primary opponents, with more potentially on the way. The developments come amid growing speculation that Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) could challenge Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.).
The primary challenges shine a fresh light on Democrats' frustration with their leaders following the party's losses last year, and they point to a potentially volatile campaign season leading up to the midterms.
'It's what you're seeing kind of across the country,' Jake Rakov, a former Capitol Hill staffer who recently launched a primary bid against his former boss Rep. Brad Sherman (D-Calif.), said in reference to the campaign against Pelosi. 'In terms of the new administration, the elected representatives have not matched where the voters are.'
Pelosi, who has represented California in the House for nearly four decades, faces a challenge from tech millionaire Saikat Chakrabarti, a veteran of Sen. Bernie Sanders's (I-Vt.) 2016 campaign and a former chief of staff to Ocasio-Cortez.
'I respect what Nancy Pelosi has accomplished in her career, but we are living in a totally different America than the one she knew when she entered politics 45 years ago,' Chakrabarti, 39, said in his launch for the 11th Congressional District.
Pelosi, 85, reportedly filed paperwork to run for her 21st term in 2026, though she's yet to formally announce her plans. She won reelection in the deep-blue district by more than 60 points against a Republican challenger last year, after stepping down from House leadership at the start of the cycle.
Pelosi notably led the effort to block Ocasio-Cortez to lead Democrats on the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee last year.
'It's kind of crazy that, basically, if you're 50 years old or under, or maybe even a little over, you're considered young in the Democratic Party,' said Zack Exley, a former Sanders adviser and campaign manager for Chakrabarti.
'The Democrats are still operating almost in this 19th-century mode of political seniority, and it's just really not working for them.'
In California's 32nd Congressional District, the 37-year-old Rakov says his campaign against Sherman will show a 'generational, operational difference' from that of his former boss.
Rakov worked as a deputy press secretary for Sherman's office back in 2017, before serving on Tom Steyer's long-shot presidential campaign in 2020.
Sherman, who at 70 is seeking his 16th term in the House, told The Hill in a phone interview that he didn't recall much about Rakov's short tenure working under the office's communications director, and hadn't encountered him in political circles in the district.
'Doesn't everybody say that, who's challenging an incumbent? Or who didn't say it 10 years ago or 20 years ago?' Sherman said of the messaging around a new generation.
'I'm not a stranger to … 'Sherman challenged by young progressive,'' the congressman said, stressing that Rakov has conceded that the two of them are similarly progressive.
Sherman, a member of the Congressional Progressive Caucus (CPC), faces at least one additional challenger in Christopher Ahuja, another comparatively younger progressive who lost out in last cycle's all-party primary for the seat. Sherman won the general election by more than 30 points.
'Yes, I've got some seniority. I know what I'm doing,' Sherman said.
Over in Illinois, a social media influencer with more than 230,000 TikTok followers is vying to replace Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D) in the Prairie State's 9th Congressional District, contending that 'the same old s— isn't working.'
'Half of Congress are millionaires and people born before the Moon landing. And that's part of the reason we're in this mess: Our leaders are out of touch,' Kat Abughazaleh said in a statement on her campaign site.
The 26-year-old is a former video producer at Media Matters for America, a progressive nonprofit news outlet sued by tech mogul Elon Musk. Abughazaleh didn't explicitly mention Schakowsky in her campaign launch video or site statement, but made it clear that the district needs generational change.
Schakowsky, 80, was elected to the House in 1998, a year before her would-be challenger was born. She serves as a vice chair of the CPC and won a 14th term in her seat by around 37 points against a GOP competitor in November. She has not yet announced a reelection bid.
'I have always encouraged more participation in the democratic process, and I welcome new faces getting involved as we stand up against the Trump Administration,' Schakowsky said in a statement shared with The Hill, adding that 'I'll be deciding on my plans soon.'
'I have made it my mission to mentor and inspire the next generation of leaders and, no matter what, I look forward to continuing that work,' the Illinois lawmaker added.
Frustration with a lack of representation of younger perspectives in Congress — where the median age of voting House lawmakers is 57.5 years — is perennial, but progressives have grown increasingly angered with Democrats on Capitol Hill as they fight against a Republican trifecta in Washington.
Favorability for the Democratic Party hit record lows in polling from both CNN and NBC News last month. And a coalition of progressive young voter groups blasted Schumer after 10 Senate Democrats helped Republicans advance a government-funding measure last month, threatening that 'if you refuse to fight for our future, we will find leaders who will.'
Pelosi, Sherman and Schakowsky all hail from comfortably blue districts, easing anxiety about whether tough primary fights could bruise candidates ahead of the general election and strain Democrats' efforts to grow their numbers in Congress.
But in that case, 'Democrats are wiser to spend millions of dollars against Republicans than against each other,' said Steven Maviglio, a longtime Democratic strategist in California, arguing that new progressives should 'do it in places where it's going to make a difference.'
'Particularly when their voting records probably wouldn't differ one iota. Just being younger doesn't make it better,' Maviglio said.
Meanwhile, the number of young progressives who jump into the ring could grow.
Punchbowl News reported on Friday that Rep. Andre Carson (D-Ind.) could face a primary challenger in George Hornedo, a 34-year-old strategist who said he's exploring a run. Carson has represented Indiana's 7th Congressional District for nine terms, and Hornedo is calling for 'new leadership that listens, fights, and delivers results.'
Speculation is also swirling over whether Ocasio-Cortez, who has been touring the country alongside progressive mainstay Sanders, could try to jump from the House to Schumer's seat in the Senate.
A survey from the liberal firm Data for Progress, first reported by Politico on Friday, found Ocasio-Cortez the favorite in a hypothetical primary with support from 55 percent of Democratic likely voters, compared to 36 percent for Schumer, who has held the seat since 1999.
'There are definitely Democrats that Gen Z is excited about and that they do trust and are listening to,' said Jessica Siles, senior communications director at Voters of Tomorrow — one of the progressive youth groups that signed on to the letter to Schumer — in an interview last week. 'So it's not that this Democratic leadership needs to be something completely new or entirely new candidates.'
Siles pointed to the 35-year-old Ocasio-Cortez, as well as Sanders, one of the oldest senators, and Rep. Maxwell Frost (D-Fla.), the youngest member of the House.
'I think young people want a mix of like, yeah, let's have younger candidates run, let's have new and diverse candidates gain power, but let's also elevate the trusted leaders that we do have and show up for them as they're showing up for us this moment.'