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WHY ARE PROGRESSIVES WINNING ACROSS THE UNITED STATES? IT’S NOT
COMPLICATED  
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Bernie Sanders
August 19, 2026
The Guardian
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_ Poll after poll shows the same thing. The American people know that
the current economic system is rigged _

‘The very rich get richer, while working families struggle.,
Photograph: Jeenah Moon/Reuters

 

The media pundits have written article after article desperately
trying to understand why progressive candidates, despite being heavily
outspent, keep defeating establishment Democrats
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the country. Well, the answer is not complicated.

Whether it is a corrupt campaign finance system, unprecedented income
and wealth inequality, a broken and wildly expensive healthcare
system, the enormous threats posed by AI or an immoral and destructive
foreign policy, progressives are talking about the real issues facing
working families. And they are providing real solutions. Establishment
Democrats are not.

Poll after poll shows the same thing. The American people know that
the current economic system is rigged. The very rich get richer, while
working families struggle. Today, while 60% of Americans live paycheck
to paycheck, the billionaire class has never ever had it so good.

We now have more income and wealth inequality than at any time in
American history. The top 1% now own more wealth than the bottom 93%
and one man, Elon Musk, owns more wealth than the bottom 50% of US
households.

Not surprisingly, working families are tired of status quo politics
and the same old, same old establishment policies that have failed
them for years. They want change, real change – and are supporting
progressive candidates who are fighting for that change.

In the richest country in the history of the world, Americans do not
want to have to struggle every single day just to pay the bills.
Working-class people do not want to die years younger than they should
because of illnesses caused by the never-ending stress they experience
just to survive. And, like past generations, they do not want their
kids to have a lower standard of living than they do.

Establishment politicians and the establishment media have described
the agenda that progressive candidates are winning elections on as
“radical”, “far left”, “extremist” or, in the words of
Donald Trump, “communist” . All that is nonsense. On major issue
after major issue, the progressive agenda is reflecting exactly what a
strong majority of the American people need and want.

Let me take this opportunity to share with you some of the major
proposals that most progressives support. And you tell me how
“extreme” they are.

Campaign finance reform

Progressives believe that our current campaign finance system is
corrupt and is undermining democracy. It is absurd that one man, Mr
Musk, can spend $290m to help elect Donald Trump as president and that
billionaires in both parties can spend unlimited amounts of money in
campaigns through their Super Pacs
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We believe that we must end the disastrous US supreme court decision
on Citizens United, ban Super Pacs and move to the public funding of
elections. We believe that democracy means one person one vote, not
billionaires buying elections.

Healthcare

Progressives believe that our current healthcare system is broken,
dysfunctional and wildly expensive. We believe that it is immoral and
fiscally irresponsible for us to spend roughly twice as much per
capita on healthcare as do the people of other major countries, while
85 million Americans remain uninsured or underinsured.

At the same time, we pay, by far, the highest prices in the world for
prescription drugs. Progressives believe that healthcare is a human
right and that we should do what all other major countries on Earth
do, guarantee healthcare to all people. We agree with the 64% of
Americans who want a Medicare for all single payer system.

Protecting American workers

Progressives believe that all Americans are entitled to a decent
standard of living. We regard it as outrageous that in the year 2026
millions of workers continue to earn starvation wages and that the
federal minimum wage remains at a disgraceful $7.25 an hour. We
believe that the federal minimum wage should be raised to a living
wage of at least $20 per hour.

We also believe that employers should no longer be able to deny
workers their constitutional right to join unions through illegal
actions. Progressives support the passage of the Pro Act which will
make it easier for workers to join unions and negotiate contracts that
will provide them with better wages, benefits and working conditions.

Tax the rich

Progressives believe that, at a time of unprecedented income and
wealth inequality, the wealthiest people in this country must start
paying their fair share of taxes. At a time when we have the highest
rate of childhood poverty of any major country on Earth and when
one-third of our senior citizens are struggling economically, it is
absurd that billionaires have an effective tax rate lower than truck
drivers or nurses.

The wealthiest people in this country and large profitable
corporations must start paying their fair share of taxes so that we
can adequately fund the needs of working families, the children and
the elderly.

Regulation of AI

Progressives believe that AI and robotics, developed and pushed by the
wealthiest people on Earth, are the most transformational technologies
in the history of humanity and that they will impact every man, woman
and child in our country.

At a time when AI is threatening to displace millions of workers,
eviscerate our privacy, harm our environment, undermine our democracy
and negatively impact the mental health of our children, we believe
that the government must play a decisive role in making sure that
these revolutionary technologies are used to benefit all Americans,
and not just make the big tech oligarchs even richer.

Climate change

Progressives believe that Trump’s assertion that climate change is a
“hoax” is not only extraordinarily ignorant, but is a real danger
to the planet. The last 11 years have been the hottest 11 years on
record and the last three years have been the hottest three years on
record.

This past year the United States and countries throughout the world
have seen major heatwaves, flash floods, increased drought and
horrific forest fires – and scientists tell us the worst is yet to
come.

Progressives believe that we must forcefully take on the greed of the
fossil fuel industry. The truth is that we can create millions of
good-paying union jobs by transforming our energy systems away from
fossil fuels and into energy efficiency and sustainable energy. For
the sake of our kids, future generations and the habitability of the
planet that is what we must do.

Foreign policy

Progressives believe that we need to fundamentally reform our foreign
and military policies. The war in Vietnam was based on a lie. The war
in Iraq was based on a lie. The current war in Iran is based on a lie.
We do not need to spend $1.5tn a year on the Pentagon fighting endless
wars and propping up dictatorships around the world.

We certainly do not have to invest tens of billions supporting the
extremist Netanyahu government in Israel, which has killed 73,000
Palestinians and wounded over 173,000 more – the vast majority of
them women, children and the elderly.

Despite what the media will have you believe, progressives are winning
across this country for a simple reason: the ideas they are running on
are extremely popular. It’s time for the political establishment to
stop telling the American people what they should believe and start
listening to what they actually want.

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_Bernie Sanders is a US senator, and ranking member of the health,
education, labor and pensions committee. He represents the state of
Vermont and is the longest-serving independent in the history of
Congress_

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