The messaging has served to channel and amplify grassroots fears over what the next four years hold under Trump, with an eye on returning to the House majority in 2026. Democrats are primed to have a motivated base in what are often lower turnout off-year elections.

But the anger Trump is fostering on the Left is also coming back to haunt House Democrats. The party failed to put limits on Trump as part of this month’s funding battle, a moment that crystallized calls for older and more establishment Democrats to step aside.

Now, progressives are attempting to fill the gap with runs that could divert Democratic resources to a slate of primary races next year.

Someone already mounting a challenge is Kat Abughazaleh, a 26-year-old progressive influencer seeking to topple Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-IL), 80. Abughazaleh’s campaign says she raised over $250,000 in the roughly 48 hours after she announced her bid.

Schakowsky, who has represented Illinois’s 9th Congressional District since 1999 and is regarded as a progressive herself, told reporters she hasn’t “totally made up my mind yet” on whether she plans to run for reelection, but she struck a defiant tone when asked about the primary race.

“If I decide to run, I’ll win. I’ll tell you that,” the congresswoman said.

Abughazaleh is already capitalizing on the controversy surrounding Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) after he handed Republicans the votes to fund the government this month without any concessions in return. House Democrats were virtually united in opposing the GOP-crafted bill and several called for Schumer to step down from leadership afterward, but the episode exposed a schism that has animated progressives.

“We can’t bow down to Trump,” Abughazaleh said in a post on X. “Unlike Chuck Schumer and Dick Durbin, I will never capitulate to authoritarians.”

Even former Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) is attracting a challenger — Saikat Chakrabarti, a 39-year-old former aide to Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) — though attempts to primary the Democratic powerhouse have failed over the last few cycles. 

In his campaign launch, Chakrabarti praised Pelosi’s tenure but argued that “we are living in a totally different America than the one she knew when she entered politics 45 years ago.”

“The Democratic Party needs to stop acting like it’s competing against a normal political party that plays by the rules, and it needs a bold vision for how to raise living standards, quality of life and security for all Americans,” Chakrabarti said. “America is stuck, and Americans want real solutions that are as big as the problems we face.”

In a statement to the Washington Examiner, Chakrabarti said his campaign offers “comprehensive and practical solutions.” In his view, the Democrats have “no idea” how to handle America being “in decline.”

“Neither does Trump, but at least he’s taking American’s reality seriously, even though his response is a joke,” he said. “The Dems need a new leadership that proposes a real plan to actually make life better for Americans. That’s the only way they win in 2028 and if they don’t bring that plan to the table, they don’t deserve to win.”

The campaign cycle won’t pick up in earnest until next year, but members are already predicting more contested primaries will emerge from the party infighting.

“I think we will see more primary challenges,” one House Democrat told the Washington Examiner. “The electorate is anxious and angry and deeply concerned about the future. And they want to see a new generation of leaders.”

“Whether they will be successful in their challenges is another story. Incumbents are tough to beat,” the lawmaker continued. “But I think you will see energy to field new candidates.” 

Democrats faced a generational reckoning shortly after the 2024 elections. Many freshman Democrats criticized their elder colleagues and called for a period of reflection after historically blue voting blocs trended toward Republicans. 

At the end of last year, Ocasio-Cortez and several other younger members challenged long-standing ranking members on powerful committees as a form of protest.

Rep. Angie Craig (D-MN), 53, successfully unseated Rep. David Scott (D-GA), 79, as the top Democrat on the House Agriculture Committee. Scott is now facing a primary challenge from Georgia state Sen. Emanuel Jones, 69.

Rep. Jared Huffman (D-CA) challenged the late Rep. Raul Grijalva (D-AZ) to become the ranking member of the Natural Resources Committee, but Grijalva bowed out of the race before it could become a competitive contest.

Not all challengers were so lucky. Ocasio-Cortez sought to become the ranking member of the Oversight Committee but lost to Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-VA). Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-TX), quickly becoming one of the most vocal House Democrats this year, lost her bid to become head of the Democrats’ campaign messaging arm to Democratic Policy and Communications Committee Chairwoman Debbie Dingell (D-MI).

Still, Ocasio-Cortez could have another shot at generational change. After Schumer’s spending deal fiasco, several progressive Democrats reportedly reached out to Ocasio-Cortez encouraging her to primary Schumer for New York’s U.S. Senate seat in 2028.

DEMOCRATS FACE GLOOMY REALITY AS UNPOPULAR POLICIES BLEED INTO ELECTORAL MATH

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) acknowledged that “there is a lot of energy, a lot of angst, a lot of anxiety” within the Democratic grassroots over the party not using all legislative tools available to them to counter Trump.

“Our focus is going to be, stop bad things from happening to the American people, and there’ll be a time and place where the politics will take care of itself,” Jeffries said.

Lauren Green contributed to this report.