Democrats urged to resist ‘progressive’ pull after midterm success

Résumé détaillé

Former congressman Joe Crowley says election results strengthen the case for a centrist strategy under House leader Hakeem Jeffries ...

A former senior Democratic leader has said the results of the midterm elections in the US show the future of the party lies with backing moderate candidates rather than those from its progressive wing.

Irish-American politician Joe Crowley was a member of the House of Representatives representing New York for 20 years until 2018 when he lost out to Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez in a fractious Democratic primary.

He was the fourth most senior Democratic congressman at the time and was considered a possible successor to speaker Nancy Pelosi.

Crowley said he believed the Democrats’ route back to political power would come through the centre ground rather than the progressive left, which is spearheaded by Ocasio-Cortez.

He said moderate candidates, rather than the party’s progressive left, were those who delivered the breakthrough in the midterm elections.

He said US president Donald Trump had lost the confidence of voters for failure to deliver on his key promises on inflation, lowering the cost of living and keeping the United States out of “endless” foreign wars.

“The elections were a complete and utter repudiation of Trump and what he has done over the last two years,” he said.

He also criticised the administration’s “repulsive” treatment of undocumented immigrants, saying it had alienated not only Democrats but Republicans in traditionally conservative states including Kansas, Oklahoma and Texas.

[ Republicans ran their campaign like a Conor McGregor press conferenceOpens in new window ]

Début de l'article, extrait de The Irish Times. Pour lire la suite, ouvrez l'article chez le média.