Amy Walter on Democrats: What Does It Mean To Be A Fighter, Not Just With Trump In Office, But When He Isn’t?
PBS NEWSHOUR: NPR’s Tamara Keith and Amy Walter of the Cook Political Report with Amy Walter join Geoff Bennett to discuss the latest political news, including the Supreme Court further expanding the president’s authority while rejecting President Trump’s effort to restrict mail-in voting, Trump focusing on the SAVE Act and progressive candidates winning Democratic primaries.
GEOFF BENNETT, PBS NEWSHOUR: Well, as we talk about the primaries, we have got another one coming up in Colorado. And we have seen these progressive victories in New York and Washington state. Tomorrow, tomorrow — rather, Washington, D.C., not Washington state. Can’t even read my notes here. But tomorrow’s Colorado primary will be a test because you have got Senator Michael Bennet, and you have got the Congresswoman Diana DeGette. They’re facing serious challenges from the left. What are you watching for? AMY WALTER, COOK POLITICAL REPORT: Yes. So I think there is — it’s very important to put these challenges into different buckets. I think, in some of the darkest blue state — darkest blue district — now, we saw it in New York City, but we have also seen this in Philadelphia, in New Jersey, and now maybe in Denver, where candidates running as a justice Democrat or those basically on the furthest left of the party, many motivated by the issue of Israel, not all, but definitely is a big piece of that, have been successful. We’re going to see tomorrow night in Denver whether that candidate to the left of longtime incumbent Diana DeGette will be successful. But when we look at the governor’s race between Michael Bennet and the state attorney general, the Democrat there, that’s really about, who’s the better fighter? And this is really at its core what the Democratic — if you want to sort of say what are these Democratic primaries really about, what does it mean to be a fighter in this age, and who are you fighting for and what are you fighting against, in the case of, in these dark blue districts, what I’m fighting against, the left, the further left, the Bernie-backed candidates would say is, I’m fighting against corporate oligarchy, the system, the establishment, which can include Democrats. If you’re talking about, in this case, the governor’s race, it’s, who’s fighting Trump the hardest? The state attorney general, who’s filing court cases and winning court cases, or the guy who’s been in Washington as one of 100? And, by the way, Democrats aren’t doing anything in Washington. I’m the one, says the state attorney general, who’s really doing the hard work. And that same debate is going on in a competitive district in Colorado between two Democrats. So this, to me, is going to be a fascinating question as we get to 2027. What does it mean to be a fighter, not just with Trump still in office, but looking forward to when Trump isn’t in office?







