Republican National Committee Chair Joe Gruters declared on Wednesday that the Democratic Party is spiraling into a crisis, pointing to a wave of progressive primary victories he likened to New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani. In an interview with NewsNation's Kellie Meyer, Gruters characterized the left as being in a “death spiral” and urged Democrats to continue nominating candidates he called “mini-Mamdanis.”
“Keep on electing them because they’re giving us a gift every single day,” Gruters said. “What’s happened to the left — they’re in a death spiral. All of you get to see it. All these mini-Mamdanis running around and they’re winning, and it’s not just New York City and big cities, we’re talking about … middle America.”
Gruters specifically cited Michigan Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed and former Maine Senate candidate Graham Platner as examples of progressive contenders who have energized the party’s left flank. Platner formally withdrew last week after a former girlfriend accused him of sexual assault in 2021, a development Gruters used to highlight internal Democratic turmoil.
“Maine Democrats are in some type of civil war and they’re trying to have the nomination behind closed doors without anybody saying, just like they put on Biden, just like they put in Harris,” Gruters said, referencing President Joe Biden’s decision to drop his 2024 reelection bid and Vice President Kamala Harris’s ascent without a formal primary. He called for an open debate in Maine, adding that such internal conflicts “every single day they give us gifts from the standpoint of the matchups that we need.”
Democratic socialists have notched several wins nationwide, including defeating incumbent House Democrats in New York, and are close to clinching mayoral races in Washington, D.C., and Los Angeles. Mamdani, a democratic socialist, actively campaigned for those House challengers. In Pennsylvania and Colorado, two other progressive candidates ousted sitting House members, further fueling the GOP narrative of a leftward shift.
President Donald Trump and Republicans have seized on these victories, painting progressive policies as akin to communism and a threat to national security. This messaging has become a central theme for the GOP as they look to capitalize on Democratic divisions. Meanwhile, Democratic leaders like House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries have sought to maintain party unity. Jeffries told MSNBC’s Jen Psaki last month that while he supports Israel’s right to exist and Palestinian aspirations, incoming House Democrats must recognize Trump as “the enemy.”
Internal Democratic rifts, particularly over the party’s stance on Israel’s military campaign in Gaza, continue to simmer. Gruters’ comments underscore how Republicans are leveraging these fractures to frame the 2026 midterms as a battle between mainstream Democrats and a far-left insurgency. The RNC chair’s remarks also echo broader GOP strategy to tie all Democrats to the progressive label, even as figures like Jeffries try to project a “big tent” approach.
As primary season heats up, the battle for the soul of the Democratic Party remains a key storyline, with Republicans betting that voters will reject candidates they portray as extreme. The outcome could reshape the political landscape ahead of the next election cycle.
