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← Signal: State & Power

Centrist Democrats Resist DSA-Aligned Candidates, Drawing Parallels to 2008 PUMA Movement

Confirmed1 source · Oct 24, 2026

Some moderate Democratic figures are actively opposing or declining to support progressive candidates who won party primaries, raising questions about party unity.

Centrist Democrats Resist DSA-Aligned Candidates, Drawing Parallels to 2008 PUMA Movement
Image via The Intercept

What happened

Democratic strategist James Carville stated on The Bulwark podcast that he would prefer Republicans to retain control of the House by five seats rather than Democrats win by five, citing concern that a narrow Democratic majority would be "hostage to the DSA." In Michigan, party power players David Kramer and Lon Johnson published an op-ed in the Detroit News on October 16 urging voters to leave Democratic Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed's name blank on the ballot, effectively supporting Republican Mike Rogers. Maine Governor Janet Mills has not endorsed Democratic Senate nominee Troy Jackson. El-Sayed, who is progressive but not DSA-affiliated and not a socialist, has faced resistance from within his own party despite polling slightly ahead of Rogers and having 95 percent of Michigan Democrats intending to vote for him.

Context

The pattern echoes the 2008 "Party Unity, My Ass" (PUMA) movement, when Clinton supporters opposed Obama's general election campaign. According to The Intercept, DSA-aligned progressives have won a number of Democratic primaries and are set to help Democrats take the majority in Congress, but moderate Democrats appear concerned that an empowered progressive wing would make demands that could upend decades of donor-friendly policymaking arrangements. Kramer and Johnson's op-ed against El-Sayed tied him to extreme Islamic elements and characterized his criticism of Israel as antisemitic—attacks that target progressive Democrats. The centrist resistance signals deeper anxiety about losing institutional power and influence within the party if progressive candidates take office.

What's disputed

The characterization of El-Sayed's positions and associations is contested. The source author disputes Kramer and Johnson's framing, noting El-Sayed's positions align with the Elizabeth Warren wing of the party and that opposition to Israeli military actions does not necessarily reflect antisemitism. The source also characterizes centrist motivation as rooted in institutional self-interest and Islamophobia, which are interpretive claims rather than independently verified facts.