Democrats are solving the wrong problems

Democrats are facing a dilemma and Michigan’s Senate primary perfectly illustrated it. Abdul El-Sayed, the charismatic progressive, defeated Rep. Haley Stevens, the establishment-backed moderate. The energy was unquestionably with El-Sayed. But a Washington Post analysis finds his support was concentrated in the state’s most educated counties and college towns; Stevens did better in many rural and lower-income areas. The dilemma: The left has the passion, but the middle still has the votes Democrats need to win in general elections.

The progressive answer is that Democrats can solve this by becoming more economically populist — attacking billionaires, expanding benefits and thus appealing to the working class. But these ideas don’t appeal to the actual working class. Among Democrats, a Pew survey shows 41 percent of college graduates say they like politicians who call themselves democratic socialists, compared with only 26 percent of those without degrees. Upper-income Democrats are also much more favorable toward democratic socialists than lower-income Democrats, 40 percent to 24 percent.

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