We are in a battle against fascism. We need fighters, not folders.
It’s time to turn the page in the Democratic Party.
Since his election in 2016, Indivisible has been dedicated to the defeat of Donald Trump and his authoritarian political project. Winning this fight is existential for our country and our communities, and the struggle in 2025 is as stark as it has ever been. Donald Trump rules as a wannabe king, dismantling our democracy with a league of sycophantic enablers at his side. Empowered by techno-fascists, corrupt self-dealing billionaires and corporate cowards, this regime is killing the American experiment with a death by a thousand cuts.
- We have secret police forces and federal agencies terrorizing our cities and kidnapping our neighbors.
- Working families are being priced out of their communities and we’re staring down the barrel of a catastrophic recession.
- Our First Amendment rights are under a daily assault from a weaponized FCC and DOJ.
- Elections are being undermined through gerrymandering schemes and ballot restrictions.
- Trump, his family, and his enablers are openly extorting others and accepting bribes, stealing money from American taxpayers and allowing corruption to take root throughout our government.
- And both Congress and the Supreme Court have surrendered their duty to act as a check on Trump’s crimes.
The stakes for our country and our communities could not be higher — and we need a real opposition party if we have any hope to fight back and win.
Even in spite of these authoritarian maneuvers by the Trump Republican Party, we know today that there will be elections in 2026 — but at Indivisible, we are also clear-eyed that this regime is gearing up to subvert the results of the midterms. They know that their agenda is historically unpopular, and they’re terrified of the American electorate. They’ve tried to overturn the vote before through denialism and a literal coup attempt, and all of us in the pro-democracy movement must understand this regime’s willingness to illegally and violently cling to power.
We’re not the first country to experience this kind of democratic backsliding, and we’ve got lessons learned from other nations that have faced a similar threat. A common inflection point for democracies that decline into authoritarianism is a successful attempt at a stolen election. A deciding factor for whether an attempt is possible is whether the opposition party is strong, unified, and forceful in response.
The Democratic Party of 2024 and 2025 has not been the beacon of the strength, unity, or forcefulness we need. Instead, it’s fractured. Some Democrats — like Senators Murphy and Van Hollen and Representatives Frost and AOC understand what time it is and act with the level of urgency and ferocity the moment requires. But far too many Democrats have been operating in this era with a politics-as-usual approach, upholding the very status quo that allowed fascism to flourish.
Make no mistake — the Democratic Party is not our enemy. But we also can’t allow it to be an obstacle. It must be the vehicle by which we defeat the fascists in elections and build a framework to move beyond this period of crisis. But despite the electoral wins this year and historic actions by the grassroots base, the division between fighters and folders has caused Democrats to be seen as directionless, with feckless leadership that has led to historic unpopularity. This is not a Democratic Party equipped to be the unified opposition movement we need. Our strongest champions are sidelined or dismissed altogether, while leadership struggles to keep pace with the fascists.
The truth is, we don’t have time to deal with weak leadership. The defenders of democracy in America can’t fight a two-front war against fascists and the capitulators. We need a unified pro-democracy movement, and we need the Democratic Party to be the leading edge of it. Because we know that the one fight that matters most right now is the fight against the fascists. It is existential, and it is unavoidable. We cannot lose, and we cannot afford to have our weakest players in the starting lineup. This debate within the Democratic Party isn’t an ideological one, it’s a practical one: rather than left vs. center, we are asking simply who has what it takes to fight the regime and win?
What we’re hearing from Indivisible leaders:
Indivisible’s leadership is not based in Washington, D.C. — it is distributed across the country, held by thousands of local leaders in every state and district in America. These folks have been on the front lines of the fight against authoritarianism in their own communities, building historic protests, organizing against ICE, fueling electoral wins, and innovating new ways to hold the line against the regime. They are the leaders of the Indivisible movement, and we at the Indivisible national team look to them to understand where we should be focusing our energy to build a stronger pro-democracy movement. So, we spent the last year listening to what they had to say about the Democratic Party — where its problems are and how to address them. And the answer was clear: we need to use primaries as a way to build a stronger party of fighters for the era we live in.
Here’s what we’ve learned from our most recent survey:
- 93% of Indivisibles think that primaries are an important method of reshaping the Democratic Party
- A supermajority of Indivisibles believe that their group will be involved in their local Democratic primary
The eagerness to engage in Democratic primaries is particularly notable, as roughly the same percentage of Indivisibles indicated that their group hadn’t been previously involved in primaries (68%) as those who said that they expect their group to be involved this year (64%).
These are some of the most recent and clear indicators that this movement is ready to lean in on primaries in 2026, but the aggregate numbers don’t tell the whole story. Indivisible respondents also told us what they think defines a fighter Democrat vs. a status quo Democrat. These are the four characteristics that stood out:
- Fighter posture & willingness to confront
- Treats politics as a real fight, not a technocratic negotiation.
- Picks visible fights with MAGA and with do-nothing Dem habits.
- Names villains clearly, doesn’t duck tough issues to keep the peace.
- Skeptical of “bipartisanship” and “compromise” when it means selling out their own side.
2. What side they’re on: people-power vs corporate/AIPAC/establishment
- Clean or at least non-captured money: no AIPAC, no corporate PACs, no billionaire leash.
- Center of gravity is working people, unions, local communities, grassroots coalitions, not DC insiders.
- Willing to challenge their own party leadership and local machine if those are blocking what constituents want.
3. A bold agenda, free from corporate capture and corrupt influence
- Fighters are the ones pushing structural, progressive changes, not nibbling around the edges.
- While a given fighter candidate may not hold all these positions, specific issues that appear repeatedly and convey the level of boldness people are hungry for include:
— Expand the Supreme Court
— Medicare for All / universal health care
— Green New Deal / serious climate action
— Housing affordability, student debt, wealth taxes
— Labor rights / unions
— Gaza / ceasefire / opposing genocide and AIPAC line
— Immigration reform and anti-ICE stances
4. New and principled leadership (generational + moral courage vs careerism)
- Not just “younger,” but less captured by the old way of doing things — not waiting their turn, not deferential to machine politics.
- Values > career safety; will risk their seat, seniority, committee favor for the right fight.
- Seen as people who will speak clearly, take risks, and galvanize new voters, including younger folks.
As part of our listening, we’ve been able to identify some early contests where Indivisibles are actualizing these priorities. In Hawaii, we have a clear anti-Ed Case movement gathering steam, looking to unseat the conservative Democratic incumbent who has voted time and time again to empower the Trump regime. In New York, we’re seeing growing energy in the effort to take on Democrats who are too friendly with the funders of fascism and too sympathetic to Trump-style immigration cruelty. And in Minnesota, Indivisibles are unwilling to let Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand hand-pick their senator, instead looking to evaluate the candidates and assess whether Lt. Governor Peggy Flanagan will be a stronger representative for the state.
Indivisibles across the country are ready to jump into this fight, but this movement is not a monolith. Many Indivisible leaders are still considering what their position in these races will be, and want time to assess the candidates and the role of their groups. Some Indivisible groups will endorse, others won’t. Endorsements aren’t the only way to wield power in elections, and it’s not the only way Indivisibles will show up to make the Democratic Party the strong opposition party we need it to be. But it’s clear endorsements in primaries are a core component of how Indivisible will be showing up in 2026.
Our strategy for the 2026 primaries:
Indivisible will be running our largest primary program in history in 2026. Throughout the year, it’s become clear that the Indivisible base is fed up with weak and unstrategic leadership, but remains deeply invested in a winning Democratic Party. As a network of activists and organizers, we have a responsibility to use our political power to effect the change we demand. And the ingredients we need for a transformational primary period are in front of us: dozens of retirements and dozens of challenges to incumbent members, a base that is enraged by the failures of current leadership, and a clarity of purpose to — above all else — defeat Republicans at every level to save our country.
Based on what we heard from Indivisible leaders, our goals are simple: nominate real fighters, secure stronger leadership, and demonstrate that the Democratic majorities of 2027 will not be held back by the 2025 status quo. While Indivisible groups across the country will be evaluating and endorsing candidates at every level of government, our national program will be focused on a handful of high-priority congressional races where we can strike a blow against the status quo, nominate a real fighter, and then win in the general election.
For national endorsements, we’ll be looking for Democratic congressional candidates who are clearly part of the fight-back faction of the party. This means:
- Refusing to take contributions from Fascism Funders — the technofascists of Silicon Valley, billionaire donors helping to enrich Trump and his cronies, cryptocurrency scammers, and AIPAC.
- Using the power of a congressional majority to investigate and prosecute the abuses and corruption of the Trump regime.
- And for Senate candidates, a commitment to vote against Chuck Schumer as majority leader.
These aren’t the only criteria that matter, but these standards are central to the identity of a fight-back Democrat, and will be at the center of Indivisible candidate evaluations. This isn’t an ideological purity test. It’s about building a clear dividing line between the status quo and the future of the party — a future where Democrats don’t empower fascists and their enablers, but fight them at every turn.
How will we do it? As always, this primary program will be built and executed in close partnership with groups on the ground. Indivisible’s national program will always be in lockstep with the groups and members in the states and districts where we want to have an impact in a primary contest. We won’t get out ahead of the actual grassroots leaders of this movement. But, we will be proactive, with two approaches:
- In deep blue states and districts, we will be looking for opportunities to support challenges against failed incumbents
- In open contests in both Democratic strongholds and the electoral frontline, we will be looking to support strong fighter candidates who can defeat status quo Dems for the nomination.
Where we find these opportunities, we’ll work with local Indivisibles to assess the candidates and move towards a strong collective endorsement for the right one. We won’t be parachuting into any districts without close consultation with local groups and a deep consideration of the electoral landscape. And while we may be frustrated with some squishy Democrats in frontline seats, we aren’t in this to endanger a potential Democratic majority by challenging viable incumbents in tough districts. And we aren’t just looking for any race where there’s a younger or more progressive challenger on the ballot — this primary effort is about winning the bigger battle against authoritarianism, not scoring ideological or demographic points.
We will always support the ultimate winner of the primary. We’ll work our asses off to support our candidates, but we know the Democratic nominee will always be a better option than a Republican — and we don’t believe in spoilers. There may be some general election independents we’ll look at in the future, but never at the risk of a Republican win.
What’s next:
As of today, Indivisible’s 2026 primary program is live. That means we’ll begin candidate evaluations immediately and continue engaging with and listening to local grassroots groups across the country about the races they’re prioritizing. Throughout December and early next year, we will be hosting conversations and candidate reviews with Indivisibles in target races, with a goal of being able to announce endorsements in early 2026. As in previous years, endorsements will require a supermajority of support from local Indivisible members.
Later this month, we will roll out our updated grassroots endorsements guide to help local leaders and organizers flex their own political muscle by declaring support for candidates in their upcoming primaries. This guide is for anyone who wants to be part of the process of influencing who we have as nominees next year, but the best way to use it is by either joining or starting an Indivisible group so you can be part of this movement to build the fight-back faction together. We’ll have more soon on candidates and races to watch, endorsement announcements, and opportunities to connect with voters directly.
This is our opportunity to course correct in the opposition party — to elevate fighters, move beyond the baggage of the status quo, and create the conditions for change. Primaries are hard but healthy, and this year we have the opportunity to make them truly transformative. Indivisibles across the country have told us they won’t be on the sidelines this year. Neither will we.
