2026-08-23 · contested story
‘Woke’ is now a dirty word among Democrats
The 2026 midterm primary season became the battleground for an intensifying Democratic civil war between the party's ascendant progressive/democratic-socialist wing and its center-left establishment, crystallized by Abdul El-Sayed's narrow Michigan Senate primary win, Peggy Flanagan's victory in Minnesota, and Francesca Hong's high-profile-but-ultimately-losing gubernatorial bid in Wisconsin. Layered on top of these races is a broader identity crisis over 'woke' terminology and ideology, ignited when Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez quoted a colleague saying 'Woke 1.0 was crazy' and moderates (via groups like Third Way) pushed Democrats to abandon progressive jargon they say alienates working-class voters.
The Left frames this as either a genuine progressive surge powered by grassroots energy and material working-class concerns (The American Prospect, Mother Jones, The Intercept) or, in some outlets, as a legitimate reckoning with 'woke' excesses that harmed the party (New Statesman, LA Times) — while other Left voices (Kahlil Greene's Substack, The Intercept) warn that abandoning 'woke' erases civil-rights struggle and adopts the right's framing. The Center (NPR, AP, Politico, Cook Political Report) frames it primarily as an electability question — a moderate-vs-progressive 'proxy battle' testing whether the left can win in purple states — while emphasizing polling misses and party division. The Right (Fox News, NY Post, Daily Caller, Washington Examiner) frames the progressive rise as 'radical,' 'socialist,' and 'dangerous,' treats the Democratic retreat from 'woke' language as vindication that the ideology is toxic and being abandoned only for cynical electoral survival.
How each side frames it
left
"The American left has real momentum for the first time in a century, and not just in major cities."
"The leader of the MAGA cult, Donald Trump, has gone full late-stage degenerate dictator before his term is even half done."
"the argument that a socialist can't possibly win a purple state like Wisconsin has a certain surface plausibility to it"
"Both responses were right: woke was ruinous. Both responses were wrong: woke fevers arose out of a true malaise."
"It converts an important period of political education into a product cycle with a version number, and it adopts the framing of the people who spent six years attacking that education."
center
"another moderate versus progressive showdown"
"Democrats should be concerned about Hong if she becomes the nominee, said Jessica Taylor... 'That is a risky position, to have as a Democratic socialist in one of the most consequential swing states in the country'"
"But primaries, particularly one with this contest's odd dynamics, are difficult to poll, as was illustrated last week when Michigan polls significantly underestimated Haley Stevens's support versus El-Sayed."
"The challenge, as party leaders learned in Michigan and may soon learn in Wisconsin, is convincing liberals that Republican attacks which they find ludicrous or unfair might work on other voters."
"There is a general sense that Flanagan has gained ground on Craig during the primary campaign"
right
"Crossing over to vote for Francesca Hong is a big risk because she would be VERY dangerous if she was Governor"
"Wisconsin, Minnesota Democrats face key governor and Senate primaries as radical leftists advance"
"The report comes as the Democratic Party has been attempting to rebrand in time for the midterms amid plummeting approval ratings following its decisive losses on Election Day 2024."
"'Birthing Person': Liberals Beg Democrats To Ditch Woke Lingo, Talk Normally"
"the Left will capitulate to the Islamists, as they always have."
What each side left out
The left left out — covered by the WSJ & Reuters & AP News
- Minnesota welfare/Medicaid fraud scandal as a liability for Flanagan
- The fact that moderate Crowley ultimately won Wisconsin over Hong
The left left out — covered by the Politico & Forbes
- Bernie Sanders and AOC declining to endorse Hong, signaling elite progressive doubts about her viability
The right left out — covered by the The American Prospect & NPR & The 19th News
- El-Sayed and progressives' economic/affordability agenda (Medicare for All, wages) that draws working-class support
- That Hong's platform is described by some outlets as 'not-terribly-radical policy'
The right left out — covered by the Poynter & LA Times & History Can't Hide
- The historical/civil-rights origins of the word 'woke' in Black vernacular
- That the term was appropriated and weaponized by conservatives
The center left out — covered by the Mother Jones & The Intercept & CBC
- The moral/foreign-policy substance of El-Sayed's critique of AIPAC and US-Israel policy that motivated many voters
The left left out — covered by the PBS Wisconsin & Semafor & Cook Political Report
- Republican groups (Republican Governors Association) actively spending to BOOST Hong because they view her as the weaker general-election candidate
What's actually true?
[verified] Abdul El-Sayed defeated Rep. Haley Stevens in the Michigan Democratic Senate primary
[verified] AIPAC and its affiliated groups spent more than $30 million supporting Haley Stevens against El-Sayed, its largest single-race investment ever
[verified] Peggy Flanagan defeated Angie Craig in the Minnesota Democratic Senate primary (approx 59% to 39%)
[verified] Moderate David Crowley defeated Francesca Hong in the Wisconsin Democratic gubernatorial primary despite Hong leading in polls
[verified] AOC quoted a colleague saying 'Woke 1.0 was crazy' during an ABC 'This Week' interview
[verified] The centrist think tank Third Way released a memo listing 45 words/phrases (including 'birthing person,' 'cisgender,' 'Latinx') Democrats should avoid to reconnect with 'normie voters'
[verified] Bernie Sanders and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez did NOT endorse Francesca Hong, unlike other progressive candidates this cycle
[verified] Republican-aligned groups (Republican Governors Association's Right Direction Wisconsin PAC) spent nearly $3.6 million boosting Hong, viewing her as the easier general-election opponent
The narrative clash
Whether 'Woke 1.0' was 'crazy' / a mistake
Left: It converts an important period of political education into a product cycle with a version number, and it adopts the framing of the people who spent six years attacking that education.
Right: The report comes as the Democratic Party has been attempting to rebrand in time for the midterms amid plummeting approval ratings following its decisive losses on Election Day 2024.
Whether progressives/socialists can win in swing states
Left: But recent polling and elections going back 100 years tend to indicate that Wisconsin is not full to bursting with moderate swing voters; rather it is heavily polarized between quite progressive Democrats and the same feral Republicans as in a red state.
Right: Wisconsin, Minnesota Democrats face key governor and Senate primaries as radical leftists advance
Whether Hong is genuinely radical or running on moderate policy
Left: Hong's actual campaign has been laser-focused on not-terribly-radical policy. Her platform proposes a big expansion of health care, universal paid leave, and a large boost in education funding
Right: she would be VERY dangerous if she was Governor
128 sources analyzed
Minnesota Reformer The American Prospect Mother Jones The Boston Globe boltsmag.org NewsOne Daily Kos New York Magazine New Statesman Current Affairs NBC News theintercept.com The Guardian cnn.com USA Today startribune.com MPR News PBS The Damage Report Politico washingtonpost.com aljazeera.com CBC WWMT NPR Los Angeles Times Decision Desk HQ | Substack Detroit Free Press U.S. News & World Report The Conversation Bentham's Bulldog Axios Bentham's Bulldog PBS Wisconsin cbsnews.com The Hill ABC News - Breaking News, Latest News and Videos reuters.com apnews.com WSJ cookpolitical.com today.com 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS the-independent.com Jewish Insider newyorker.com Roll Call FOX 9 Minneapolis-St. Paul Pioneer Press WPRI.com Semafor InForum MS NOW EL PAÍS English Yahoo News UK yahoo.com KOMU 8 kare11.com Bloomberg.com economist.com Межа. Новини України. Time Magazine WEAU The 19th News Forbes WISN NewsNation State Navigate Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Straight Arrow fox6now.com WPR Spectrum News 13 Newsweek Wisconsin State Journal Local 3 News News of the United States - NOTUS LiveNOW from FOX OddsShopper Fox Business Civic Media news.kalshi.com MLive.com Spectrum News BBC Votebeat The Seattle Times The Times of Israel Bridge Michigan ClickOnDetroit | WDIV Local 4 KCRA Pittsburgh Post-Gazette France 24 - Emerson Polling ft.com 270toWin.com The Jerusalem Post WUWM Bloomberg Government News Anadolu Ajansı C-SPAN 10TV NewsCord FOX One Lakeshore Public Media GV Wire cbs19.tv Yahoo News Canada KCUR KGW Yahoo News Singapore KJZZ WGCU WVIA Public Media WYSO Public Radio The Irish Times KUNC California Globe Poynter The News & Observer nypost.com The Carolina Journal The Telegraph - UK Washington Examiner wng.org The Dispatch Daily Caller Fox News