# Who should progressives target for primaries in the 2026 election cycle **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [April 22, 2025, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-should-progressives-target-for-primaries-in-the-2026-election-cycle/1017371 "2025-04-22T17:01:52Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Wesley\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wesley_clark/32/20581_2.png) [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2025, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-should-progressives-target-for-primaries-in-the-2026-election-cycle/1017371/1 "2025-04-22T17:01:52Z")
With David Hogg talking about putting 20 million into helping more aggressive, leftist candidates as primary contenders in safely blue districts, who should the left attempt to primary in safe blue districts? Hakeem Jeffries would be nice to primary. I don’t know who would make a better house speaker, I just feel he is tone deaf and not realizing how serious all this is. He just repeats talking points that don’t seem to work or make a difference. Any other conservative or centrist democrats in safe blue districts that should be primaried from the left? I’ve heard people say the 4 democrats who voted for the Save Act should be looked into as potential primary targets. Ed Case from HI-1 is from a safe blue district. The other 3 democrats are from swing districts and a primary from the left would do more harm than good. ---
**Author:** ![Thing.Fish](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thing.fish/32/9168_2.png) [@Thing.Fish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thing.Fish)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2025, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-should-progressives-target-for-primaries-in-the-2026-election-cycle/1017371/2 "2025-04-22T17:21:22Z")
I nominate my Senator Dick Durbin, who voted against the government shutdown, basically gift-wrapping the only leverage the Dems had and handing it to Trump. Also, he’s 80 and has no business being in public office. ---
**Author:** ![Wesley\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wesley_clark/32/20581_2.png) [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2025, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-should-progressives-target-for-primaries-in-the-2026-election-cycle/1017371/3 "2025-04-22T17:35:05Z")
I think hes up for re-election in 2026 and he is planning to retire. So hopefully someone more competent takes his place. It sucks seeing Hakeem Jeffries say ‘we have no leverage’ just for the senate dems to give away the only leverage they have in exchange for absolutely nothing. ---
**Author:** ![PastTense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pasttense/32/14550_2.png) [@PastTense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PastTense)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2025, 10:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-should-progressives-target-for-primaries-in-the-2026-election-cycle/1017371/4 "2025-04-22T22:44:48Z")
They have another leverage coming up in the next couple months: the debt ceiling–but they will probably give that up for absolutely nothing too. ---
**Author:** ![PastTense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pasttense/32/14550_2.png) [@PastTense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PastTense)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2025, 3:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-should-progressives-target-for-primaries-in-the-2026-election-cycle/1017371/5 "2025-04-23T15:35:39Z")
> [@Thing.Fish](#): > > I nominate my Senator Dick Durbin, who voted against the government shutdown, basically gift-wrapping the only leverage the Dems had and handing it to Trump. Also, he’s 80 and has no business being in public office. He heard you: > **[Dick Durbin of Illinois, the Senate’s No. 2 Democrat, won't seek reelection to...](https://apnews.com/article/dick-durbin-senate-reelection-majority-02ff2de634c0e6b62842f80eef01f72e)** > > U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin of Illinois says he won’t seek reelection to a sixth term in 2026 and knows “it’s time to pass the torch.”