Washington Examiner’s Joe Concha said Thursday that the Democratic Party is facing a pivotal moment as its far-left candidates, such as Zohran Mamdani, dominate media attention and polling within the party.
Speaking on Fox News’s Hannity, Concha called on centrist Democrats to “stand up” for their party, pointing to their lack of endorsement for more liberal politicians such as New York City Democratic mayoral candidate Mamdani.
“If you are [House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY)], you’re [Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY)], whoever’s not part of the far, far left in the party, and those numbers are dwindling in terms of who’s in the so-called ‘middle,’ will you stand up for your party?” Concha said.
He noted that only a few Democrats, such as Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA), have publicly broken with progressive colleagues on certain issues.
“[The left] wing is winning, especially the media war,” Concha said, citing recent polling showing Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) as the party’s more popular figures.
“If this party decides to continue to go to the far left, and they end up using a far-left candidate as its nominee, they will lose in a way that will make [former Vice President] Kamala Harris’s loss look respectable,” he said.
Concha questioned whether that momentum would translate into victories in battleground states such as Pennsylvania, Michigan, Wisconsin, Arizona, North Carolina, Georgia, and Nevada, warning that the political landscape in those areas is very different from that of a stronghold like New York.
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Turning to Mamdani’s current race, Concha said the candidate would be heavily favored if the crowded field remained intact. “Ninety-nine percent chance he wins if the race stays the way it is right now: four candidates.”
An Aug. 12 poll from Siena College currently shows Democratic nominee Mamdani holding a strong lead over other candidates.