The battle for the soul of the Democratic Party

Since losing to Donald Trump in last year’s presidential election, Democrats across the U.S have been working behind the scenes to change the party’s image and its policies. In places like New York, Zohran Mamdani has led a progressive campaign that’s caught global attention. Does the rest of the party need to follow suit?

In today’s episode, Sarah and Justin look at other races taking place in November, including the race for governor in New Jersey and Virginia, where two centrist Democrats are hoping to win on a very different policy platform. Mikie Sherrill and Abigail Spanberger are part of the so-called ‘Mod Squad’ that’s searching for electoral success through a focus on the cost of living and local issues.

The pair are seen as rising stars in the party, but is there also space for figures like Mamdani? We take a look at their campaigns and tactics, and some of the Democratic candidates putting themselves forward as senate candidates for 2026 such as Janet Mills in the swing state of Maine. How will these campaigns inform how both parties choose to approach the 2026 midterm elections?

HOSTS:• Justin Webb, Radio 4 presenter• Sarah Smith, North America Editor

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This episode was made by George Dabby with Alix Pickles, Grace Reeve and Kris Jalowiecki. The technical producer was Mike Regaard. The series producer is Purvee Pattni. The senior news editor is Sam Bonham.

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Americast is the authoritative US news and politics podcast from the BBC. Each week we provide audiences with the best analysis from across the BBC, with on-the-ground observations and big picture insights about the stories which are defining America right now. The podcast is hosted by trusted BBC journalists including the BBC’s North America editor, Sarah Smith, BBC Radio 4 presenter, Justin Webb, the BBC’s disinformation and social media correspondent, Marianna Spring, and BBC North America correspondent, Anthony Zurcher. As well as political analysis, we also specialise in social media. Each week Marianna Spring brings listeners the latest updates from the BBC’s Undercover Voters, our award-winning investigation into the content that is recommended to US voters on social media. The team is also joined by special guests each week, like CNN anchor, Christiane Amanpour, Emmy Award-winning TV host, Rachel Maddow, and Succession actress, J Smith-Cameron. Podcasts are published every Monday, Wednesday and Friday. As well as being a podcast, we are also available every Friday on the World Service. Oh, and by the way, you can now listen to Americast on a smart speaker. If you want to listen, just say ‘”Ask BBC Sounds to play Americast”. It works on most smart speakers. Every Monday we answer your questions on Americanswers, with some help from special guests, including Miles Taylor, who was chief of staff at the Department for Homeland Security during the Trump presidency before becoming a whistleblower. Got a question or a comment? Get in touch with us on email at [email protected] or WhatsApp on +44 330 123 9480.

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