Bucking the Establishment
From California to Maine, the grassroots opposition to Trump is demanding new leadership
This week, we saw more examples that a major political shift is currently underway in the Democratic Party. Long story short, a wave of young, insurgent candidates are increasingly stepping forward to challenge established incumbents without waiting for permission from party elders or the institutional apparatus. All year, I’ve watched as our grassroots audiences at COURIER have filled comment sections and newsletter replies with growing frustration at the party’s top-down leadership hierarchy, and that is now materializing into a kind of generational rebellion ahead of the midterms.
On Wednesday, news broke that Justin Pearson, a prominent “Tennessee Three” legislator expelled for gun control protests two years ago, is launching a congressional bid in Memphis, citing grassroots urgency and the need to address issues neglected by long-term incumbent Democrat Steve Cohen. Cohen is 77 years old and has been in Congress for nearly 20 years. Meanwhile in New York, Axios reported that popular City Council member Chi Ossé is weighing a run against House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, who many Democrats see as the wrong leader for this moment. Ossé’s potential campaign would be nothing short of a massive, expensive fight for “the soul of the Democratic party.”
Other examples abound: Saikat Chakrabarty, a former Justice Democrats strategist, is running in California against Nancy Pelosi, citing the need for new leadership. In Michigan, state senator Mallory McMorrow and Abdul el-Sayed are challenging DSCC-backed Rep. Haley Stevens, and in Maine, Oysterman Graham Platner is running against 77-year-old Gov. Janet Mills, also supported by Democratic leaders in D.C..
Here’s how I view these challenges: The biggest battle right now in the Democratic Party isn’t between centrist and progressives. It’s about people who realize the gravity of the situation we’re in and are ready to stand up and fight the authoritarian takeover that is very much underway —versus the ones who are still clinging to defending the institutions, the way things used to work, and a dangerous misunderstanding of this moment. In Washington, some Democrats are still prioritizing hierarchy, seniority, and dated conceptions of electability that got them into their positions of power - while pushing down strong, authentic, working class fighters that the grassroots is showing up with their small dollars and enthusiastic support to elevate.
Whether these challengers win or not, their campaigns are poised to push Democrats in D.C. and elsewhere toward building a more responsive and courageous opposition movement. You can count on COURIER to be there to cover all of these fights along the way. Buckle up.
- Tara
You’re invited: “Winning the Rigged Internet”
On Wednesday, October 15 at 7:00 pm ET, join COURIER for a candid and timely virtual conversation featuring Aaron Parnas, journalist, attorney, and digital strategist; Cayana Mackey-Nance, COURIER’s VP of Brand and Social for our state newsrooms; and RC Di Mezzo, COURIER’s VP of Brand and Social for our national newsroom. Together, they’ll unpack what it means to build and innovate social media programs at a time when the public square is increasingly controlled by a handful of powerful tech billionaires—and when government hostility toward independent journalism and free expression is growing. Please use this link to register.
What I’m reading this week
Trump says he ‘took the freedom of speech away’ on flag burning (USA Today, 10/8)
“President Donald Trump on Oct. 8 said his administration “took the freedom of speech away” as it relates to flag burnings, an activity that the Supreme Court has ruled is protected under the First Amendment…“We took the freedom of speech away, because that’s been through the courts, and the courts said you have freedom of speech but what has happened is when they burn the flag it agitates and irritates crowds,” Trump said during a roundtable discussion on antifa. “I’ve never seen anything like it, on both sides, and you end up with riots.”
ICE Wants to Build Out a 24/7 Social Media Surveillance Team (WIRED, 10/3)
“United States immigration authorities are moving to dramatically expand their social media surveillance, with plans to hire nearly 30 contractors to sift through posts, photos, and messages—raw material to be transformed into intelligence for deportation raids and arrests… Federal contracting records reviewed by WIRED show that the agency is seeking private vendors to run a multiyear surveillance program out of two of its little-known targeting centers. The program envisions stationing nearly 30 private analysts at Immigration and Customs Enforcement facilities in Vermont and Southern California. Their job: Scour Facebook, TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, and other platforms, converting posts and profiles into fresh leads for enforcement raids.”
Pentagon charges ahead with press restrictions ‘designed to stifle a free press,’ media orgs say (CNN, 10/8)
“Last month, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s press office outlined new rules that would sharply restrict reporting, leveraging the fact that many military reporters have press credentials allowing physical access to the Pentagon complex. The initial draft said beat reporters would have to sign a pledge to not obtain or use unauthorized material, even if the information is unclassified, essentially turning reporters into Pentagon PR representatives.”
Bernie Sanders scolds Democrats for encouraging Gov. Mills to enter Senate race (ME Monitor, 10/9)
“I have nothing against Janet Mills, but I think right now, Susan Collins is absolutely beatable,” Sanders told NOTUS. “She can be beaten, and I think it would be a really sad state of affairs to have to spend millions of dollars on a divisive primary. We should be focusing on beating Susan Collins, and Platner can do that.”