Populist Democrats Win 3 Primaries on Anti-Establishment Anger

2 articles · Updated · The New York Times · Sep 13

Three anti-establishment Democrats — including a 29-year-old Denver lawyer, a Montana firefighter and an Ohio ironworker — have emerged as midterm primary winners or contenders by running against both party elites and entrenched power.
Two won House primaries in Republican-leaning districts they hope to flip, while Melat Kiros defeated a longtime Democratic incumbent by 13 points in a deep-blue Denver seat she is favored to keep.
Their campaigns draw force from voter anger over working-class strain and political insiders, with Sam Forstag citing layoffs of hundreds of U.S. Forest Service workers after DOGE budget cuts and Brian Poindexter attacking leaders focused on power and wealth.
The trio's rise points to a broader Democratic current in which first-time, relatively young candidates present outsider status — not experience — as their main political asset heading into the midterms.