Washington’s candidates grapple with Democrats’ hunger for anti-establishment fighters

 https://www.politico.com/news/2026/07/02/democrats-progressives-establishment-midterms-00985221

Battleground candidates with ties to the Democratic establishment are doing everything they can to distance themselves from Washington.

Change candidates from Gen-Z democratic socialists to a two-term state attorney general have defeated entrenched incumbents from New York to Colorado in recent weeks, largely harping on their time in office and ineffectiveness in fighting back against President Donald Trump.

“There’s a thread here of unhappiness, of the system is broken, D.C. is broken, that we need people who are fighters who want to change the system and make it work for people again,” said Morgan Jackson, a longtime North Carolina Democratic strategist and an adviser to former Gov. Roy Cooper, who is now running for Senate. That sentiment is true for voters at the most extremes of their parties and moderates alike, he added.