Arizona strategists say the race for the state’s heavily Democratic 7th Congressional District to replace the late Rep. Raúl Grijalva could hold clues about where the Democratic Party is heading and be a major road test for party messaging.
“There’s some soul-searching going on in the Democratic Party, and there’s some internal conflicts, no doubt,” Hiral Tipirneni, a past Democratic congressional candidate in neighboring districts, told NOTUS. “Who we put in that seat is going to maybe speak volumes as to which direction we want our party to go, at least here in Arizona or Pima County.”
The split between how Democrats believe their party should approach President Donald Trump has been on full display in the last several weeks. Ten House Democrats joined Republicans to censure Rep. Al Green after his protest during Trump’s joint address to Congress. Sen. John Fetterman criticized Rep. Jasmine Crockett and other Democrats for participating in what he called a “cheeseball” viral video in which lawmakers took “choose your fighter” positions. The divisions reached a new level last week after Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer announced he would support advancing the GOP’s government spending bill, to the dismay of Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and other House Democrats.