The Democratic Party’s ascendant left wing is likely to push American foreign policy further “inward” and away from big-power rivalry, according to a Chinese political scientist.
Meng Weizhan, an assistant research professor at Fudan University’s Institute for Advanced Study in Social Sciences in Shanghai, also said it was time for Beijing to move away from the notion that all American political factions took a hard line on China.
The remarks come as progressive Democrats are riding a wave of victories in the primaries, gaining ground in deep-blue districts as well as swing states that could be key battlegrounds with Republicans in the coming midterm elections.
Abdul El-Sayed – who won the Democratic nomination for Michigan’s US Senate seat by a razor-thin margin last week – is a notable example. The progressive former public health official will face Republican candidate Mike Rogers in autumn.
In June, former New York City comptroller Brad Lander beat US representative Dan Goldman, while Democratic socialist Darializa Avila Chevalier unseated US representative Adriano Espaillat, with housing, public services, anti-corporate politics and Israel policy emerging as central campaign issues.
In Colorado’s first district, Democratic socialist Melat Kiros ousted Diana DeGette, a congressional incumbent of nearly three decades.