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 losses, 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 winning general elections despite these internal struggles, saying, "But we also have to win general elections."

She pointed to the Michigan Senate race as an example, noting that Democrats will need to unite behind progressive candidate Abdul El-Sayed to defeat Republican Mike Rogers. At the same time, El-Sayed’s supporters will need to reconcile with defeated candidate Haley Stevens and her supporters, who had been "vilified" online and in person during the primaries.

Podcast host Kara Swisher highlighted to Clinton that the Democratic Party's internal divisions have been exploited by Republican opposition. Clinton agreed, warning that GOP 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, a figure associated with the progressive wing.

Clinton 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."

The comments come as key races unfold in the 2026 midterms, with Democrats facing critical battles to maintain control amid internal party divisions and Republican opposition.

Sources