# Democrats split between left and centre ahead of midterms > The party faces an identity crisis as progressive and moderate wings clash over healthcare, Israel and what Democrats actually stand for. - Title: Democrats split between left and centre ahead of midterms - Summary: The party faces an identity crisis as progressive and moderate wings clash over healthcare, Israel and what Democrats actually stand for. Democrats are… - Keywords: democrats, midterm elections, healthcare policy, israel-palestine, alexandria ocasio-cortez, justice democrats, abdul el-sayed, jon ossoff, progressive politics, centrist democrats, news, world - Source: BBC News — https://bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cknv08980d3vo - Published: 2026-10-30T02:14:41.782+00:00 - Read time: 4 min - Topics: democrats, midterm elections, healthcare policy, israel-palestine, alexandria ocasio-cortez, justice democrats, abdul el-sayed, jon ossoff, progressive politics, centrist democrats, news, world ## A family divided on what Democrats should be James, 24, a democratic socialist from Georgia, wants the party to adopt policies from the Democratic Socialists of America.His mother Tamara, 56, is a loyal Democrat but more moderate.Both want Democrats to win Tuesday's midterms. > There needs to be a bold vision for the Democrats ## Democrats should be well-positioned to win Donald Trump's approval rating is at a record low for a president heading into a midterm, comparable to George W Bush in his final term in 2006. ## Yet Democrats remain unpopular nationwide The Real Clear Politics polling average shows the American public sees Democrats as only marginally better than Republicans. Recent polls show the Democratic Party still has a net unfavourability rating among Americans. ## The real fight is over party identity Behind which party wins Tuesday is a deeper story about Democratic identity. This is a fight between institutionalists and reformists, between people who want incremental change and those who demand root-and-branch transformation. ## Democrats lack a clear identity beyond Trump Ruy Teixeira, senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, says the party's identity is cloudy. It is centred on reaction to the Trump administration. Beyond that, there are all these different factions in the party. > The identity of the party is pretty cloudy ## Biden's sudden exit left questions unresolved The party never had a chance to have an identity fight during the 2024 presidential race, with the sudden departure of Joe Biden months before the election and nomination of Kamala Harris. ## Left-wing group blames establishment for losses Usamah Andrabi of the Justice Democrats says the Democratic establishment ushered in a Republican Congress and president.The people who led Democrats into this mess are not going to lead them out of it, he argues. > And so I think the people who led us into this mess are simply not gonna be the ones who lead us out of it ## Left wants universal healthcare, not tinkering Andrabi insists the affordability crisis will be solved through policies like universal healthcare and childcare, and redistributing money by cutting the Pentagon's budget to stop endless wars, not through incremental changes. > The affordability crisis… is a massive one, and it's not going to be resolved by tinkering at the margins ## Healthcare is the main battleground Carrie Dann, managing editor of the Cook Political Report, says healthcare will be one of the main arenas in which this fight plays out. > Take a bad step, break your leg, and a huge swathe of Americans would see their worlds turned upside down by that because of the healthcare system as it is ## Democrats split on how far to go on healthcare Some Democratic candidates outline ideas to lower out-of-pocket costs for those with health insurance.Another flank wants Medicare for All, a national healthcare system free at the point of use. ## Establishment Democrats worry about full government healthcare Neera Tanden, Joe Biden's former domestic policy adviser and now CEO of the Center for American Progress, says people want universal healthcare but also want to keep their health insurance. > People want to have universal healthcare, and they also want to be able to keep their health insurance ## Israel becomes a litmus test in primaries Tamara and James's most fundamental disagreement is over Israel. Tamara calls herself a Zionist. This debate is happening across the Democratic Party as support for Israel becomes a litmus test in some Democratic primaries. ## Anti-establishment candidate wins Michigan primary In the key swing state of Michigan, Abdul El-Sayed, a fierce critic of Israel and its actions in Gaza, came out on top over the objections of the Democratic establishment. ## Gaza becomes a red line for Arab-American voters Samraa Luqman, an Arab-American activist in Michigan who voted for Trump in the last presidential election, says Gaza is her red line. > My red line has been Gaza ## El-Sayed's stance alienates Jewish Democrats As El-Sayed energises voters, he has also alienated others, particularly some who see support for Israel as connected to Jewish safety in the US. > We have people who don't think Zionists should have a place in our party, that they should be removed from the party ## El-Sayed's race tests progressive theory El-Sayed's theory is that he can run as an unabashed progressive in a purple state and win because progressive ideas are popular if communicated correctly and activate young voters. ## Centrists point to their own winning candidates Jim Kessler with Third Way, a centrist think tank, says if Democrats take control of the Senate it will be because of more centrist candidates like Roy Cooper in North Carolina, Mary Peltola in Alaska… > So the bigger the Democratic victory, the more it seems like the centrist Democrats came through, not the DSA candidates ## Jon Ossoff emerges as a unifying figure Back in Georgia, both Tamara and James agree on their ideal Democrat: Jon Ossoff, the Democratic senator running for re-election. > He knows how to speak to moderate Republicans, moderate Democrats, and members of the DSA ## Corruption emerges as central election issue When Ossoff took the mic at a rally with former President Barack Obama, he spoke at length about corruption in the Trump administration and in American politics, healthcare and corporate money. ## Big Democratic win won't settle the fight Carrie Dann says Democrats would be foolish to believe a very good night in November is a mandate for the party.They are almost as unpopular as Republicans and the president. > Democrats would be foolish to believe that a very good night for them in November is a mandate for the Democratic Party ## Key takeaway Democrats are divided between left-wing reformists and centrist institutionalists on healthcare, Israel and party direction, threatening unity even if they win Tuesday's midterms.