1. United States
2. Calif.
3. Letter

When Zohran Mamdani-backed candidates won three House primaries in New York, progressives had leverage. Brad Lander and AOC immediately pledged support to Hakeem Jeffries without extracting a single concession. That's not coalition-building — that's surrendering before the fight starts. If Democrats take the House and Senate in November, newly elected progressives need to hold firm and demand new party leadership before falling in line. The Tea Party built real power by refusing to back down when they were winning. Progressives can do the same, with an agenda that actually helps people. That means a written floor under progressive votes, a ban on congressional stock trading, closing the revolving door between Congress and lobbying, ending arms shipments to Israel, and serious investment in housing, energy, and healthcare. Voters sent these candidates to Washington to change who holds power — not to hand it back to the same leadership on day one.