{"id":46765,"date":"2026-02-19T17:59:55","date_gmt":"2026-02-20T01:59:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/?p=46765"},"modified":"2026-02-19T18:01:04","modified_gmt":"2026-02-20T02:01:04","slug":"46765","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/2026\/02\/19\/46765\/","title":{"rendered":"Every Single Participant in NYT Focus Group Preferred Progressive Candidates Over Moderate Ones"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"New<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Over 13,000 people pack Forest Hills Stadium in Queens, New York, for mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani\u2019s New York Is Not For Sale rally on October 26, 2025.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u00a0(Photo by Neil Constantine\/NurPhoto via Getty Images)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe Democratic Party needs to embrace voices that resonate with people,\u201d said one participant<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Julia Conley<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Feb 18, 2026 (CommonDreams.org)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The New York Times<\/a><\/em>\u2019 \u201cAmerica in Focus\u201d series has assembled dozens of focus groups in recent years, often<\/a> asking supporters<\/a> of President Donald Trump<\/a> how they feel<\/a> about his domestic and foreign policy one year into his second term\u2014but political observers suggested Tuesday that the newspaper\u2019s latest focus group should capture the attention of Democratic leaders who have been condemned for capitulating to the president and refusing to embrace and learn from the victories of progressive leaders like New York City<\/a> Mayor Zohran Mamdani<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The newspaper spoke to 13 Democratic and independent voters including retirees from Indiana and Michigan, working people from states such as North Carolina and Nevada, and an unemployed voter from Iowa. The topic of discussion was the participants\u2019 frustrations with the Democratic Party<\/a> as it faces the Trump administration<\/a> and the president\u2019s aggressive deployment of US Immigration<\/a> and Customs Enforcement (ICE) across the country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cSpineless\u201d was one word a participant had for the Democratic Party when asked to describe it. Another said the party appears \u201cparalyzed\u201d while a 46-year-old Latina woman from Nevada said Democrats in Congress are \u201csellouts and suckers.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Terrill, a 68-year-old retired Indiana resident, agreed that the party leadership has \u201csold out.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI just feel we were never being governed,\u201d said Terrill. \u201cWe\u2019re being looted. The Democratic Party lined their pockets and created\u2014they created this mess.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A number of respondents expressed ire over the decision<\/a> by eight members of the Senate Democratic caucus to vote with Republicans<\/a> last November to end a record-breaking government shutdown\u2014without securing any concessions on protecting healthcare<\/a> for millions of Americans who rely on Affordable Care Act<\/a> subsidies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The response from participants \u201ctracks 100% with what I\u2019ve seen on the streets, from No Kings protests<\/a> to the resistance against ICE,\u201d said<\/a> commentator Hasan Piker.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Democratic leaders, he added, \u201care oblivious to the anger\u201d felt by voters. \u201cThey\u2019re speaking into an echo chamber of consultants who tell them what they want to hear.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

X post: https:\/\/x.com\/zachdcarter\/status\/2024097351019765891?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E2024097351019765891%7Ctwgr%5E2c295afa9d1c1acac9031101544709d36bf299be%7Ctwcon%5Es1_c10&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.commondreams.org%2Fnews%2Ffocus-group-nyt<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

With voters expressing such intense dissatisfaction with the leadership of establishment Democrats, \u201chow on Earth do Chuck Schumer<\/a> and Hakeem Jeffries<\/a> still manage to cling to their leadership roles?\u201d asked<\/a> journalist Mehdi Hasan, referring to the Senate and House minority leaders, who both represent New York.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But along with unloading their frustration about the Democrats who continue to back<\/a> ICE\u2014even as support for the agency craters among voters\u2014and refuse to develop what one voter called \u201cclear, concise messaging\u201d that communicates how the party will fight for working Americans, the participants talked about the political leaders who \u201cexcite\u201d them about the future of the party and the country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mike, a 33-year-old telecommunications professional in North Carolina, said that Mamdani, a democratic socialist, exemplifies what the party \u201cshould be doing more of.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Less than two months into his mayoral term, said Mike, Mamdani has provided voters in New York and across the country with a \u201cclear and concise\u201d message about how he plans to govern and what he plans to prioritize.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mike drew a comparison to Sen. Bernie Sanders<\/a> (I-Vt.), an early backer of Mamdani who is continuing the Fighting Oligarchy<\/a> nationwide tour he began last year, speaking to crowds in both red and blue districts about the need for policies that serve working families rather than billionaire political donors and corporations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBernie has said the same thing since the \u201880s,\u201d said Mike. \u201cYou\u2019ve got to tax the billionaires. You\u2019ve got to tax the upper class. He\u2019s never changed. That\u2019s the messaging. You\u2019ve just got to drill it into them, and Zohran did it. Man, it\u2019s beautiful.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While other respondents expressed some enthusiasm about more moderate leaders like Gov. Gavin Newsom<\/a> of California and former Transportation<\/a> Secretary Pete Buttigieg<\/a>, several participants agreed with Mike\u2019s comments on Mamdani and one independent voter named Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez<\/a> (D-NY), another outspoken democratic socialist and a potential 2028 contender, as a leader who \u201cexcites\u201d them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If given a choice between voting for a moderate candidate in an election or a progressive, all 13 participants said they would choose the progressive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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A 29-year-old independent voter named Panth from Arizona said the term moderate reminded him of \u201cpeople like [former West Virginia<\/a> Sen.] Joe Manchin<\/a>, who hold up some of the policies that I would want supported.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI feel like moderates are happy with the status quo and will basically do what we\u2019ve always done. The system is working for them and they want to keep it the same. I think for a large part of Americans, the system isn\u2019t working, so we need something new,\u201d said Panth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Days after taking office, Mamdani announced that he and Democratic New York Gov. Kathy Hochul had finalized<\/a> a deal to fund his universal childcare plan for the city. He also announced<\/a> the launch of \u201crental ripoff\u201d hearings to hold landlords accountable for abuses, intervened<\/a> in a major renters\u2019 dispute, personally aided with snow removal, and repaved a dangerous bump in the road on the Williamsburg Bridge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Progressive policymakers \u201cactually do stuff,\u201d summarized Panth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The widespread expression of enthusiasm for progressive candidates came a week after grassroots organizer Analilia Mej\u00eda\u2019s victory in the Democratic primary in New Jersey\u2019s 11th Congressional District, after which Sanders asserted<\/a> that victories on the left \u201ccan be done everywhere.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As Trump has ramped up his attacks on immigrant communities and\u00a0First Amendment<\/a>\u00a0rights, leaders including Schumer and Jeffries have incensed progressive commentators by\u00a0backing down<\/a>\u00a0on demands to rein in ICE,\u00a0refusing<\/a>\u00a0to clearly condemn the administration\u2019s arrest and attempted deportation of pro-Palestinian protesters, and\u00a0expressing<\/a>\u00a0frustration at advocacy groups that have demanded they fight the Trump agenda.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

X post: https:\/\/x.com\/shannonrwatts\/status\/2024144387094032596?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E2024144387094032596%7Ctwgr%5E2c295afa9d1c1acac9031101544709d36bf299be%7Ctwcon%5Es1_c10&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.commondreams.org%2Fnews%2Ffocus-group-nyt<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe Democratic Party needs to embrace voices that resonate with people,\u201d said Panth. \u201cWhen you hear Bernie, he has energy because he really believes in what he\u2019s saying. It\u2019s the same reason Trump resonates with people, because he acknowledges some of the struggles that they\u2019re facing. Sure, he blames the wrong groups, but he at least voices it. The Democratic Party doesn\u2019t do the same.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Alex Jacquez, a former\u00a0Obama administration<\/a>\u00a0official who\u2019s now chief of policy and advocacy at the economic justice group\u00a0Groundwork Collaborative<\/a>,\u00a0commented<\/a>: \u201cBingo.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Julia Conley<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Julia Conley is a staff writer for Common Dreams.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Full Bio ><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Over 13,000 people pack Forest Hills Stadium in Queens, New York, for mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani\u2019s New York Is Not For Sale rally on October 26, 2025. \u00a0(Photo by Neil Constantine\/NurPhoto via Getty Images) \u201cThe Democratic Party needs to embrace voices that resonate with people,\u201d said one participant Julia Conley… Continue reading → <\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/46765"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=46765"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/46765\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":46767,"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/46765\/revisions\/46767"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=46765"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=46765"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=46765"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}