Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton addressed ongoing tensions within the Democratic Party between its far-left and establishment wings during a Friday interview on August 8, 2026. She lamented that progressives often do not support establishment Democrats after primary defeats, stating, "One thing that we haven't yet seen enough of is that when the progressives, the left — whatever we want to call, you know, candidates on that side of the Democratic Party — when they lose, they often don't support the candidate that has been nominated."

Clinton emphasized the importance of unity to win general elections, noting, "But we also have to win general elections."

She pointed to the Michigan Senate race as an example, where Democrats will need to rally behind progressive candidate Abdul El-Sayed to defeat Republican Mike Rogers. Clinton also urged El-Sayed’s supporters to reconcile with Haley Stevens and her supporters, who were previously "vilified" online and in person during the primary battle.

Podcast host Kara Swisher highlighted to Clinton that the Democratic Party's internal struggle between establishment and progressive factions has allowed Republican opposition to capitalize on these divisions. Clinton warned that Republican attacks on hard-left socialists could be "very effective," adding, "I assume that they have reason to believe that it's effective, or they wouldn't be beating the drum on it."

Despite these challenges, Clinton noted that such "scare tactics" did not prevent the rise of New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani.

She also reflected on past reluctance within the party, saying, "You know, there was a lot of reluctance to support Kamala Harris. There was a lot of reluctance to support me when I got the nomination. So, it can't be a one-way street."

Sources