Pressure Systems edition
The Rise of Left Wing Electoral Machines
November 11, 2026
What this edition shows
Portland’s DSA chapter, Texas Christian Democrats, and Jean-Luc Mélenchon’s French campaign show the left turning local organizing, moral appeals, and public-ownership demands into electoral machines, while Jacobin’s internal debates ask whether DSA can convert wins into working-class power and a distinct foreign policy. In Europe, Finland’s fair-AI campaign and the housing-and-wages protest wave connect that electoral question to tech governance and street pressure, and Brazil’s fight to “tame” Meta shows left actors confronting platform power as well as parties.
Reporting and analysis behind this edition 23 sources
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Is There a Left Candidate for President?
“All I know is that the populist lane is wide open for someone to seize it.” The post Is There a Left Candidate for President? appeared first on The Intercept.
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Peak polycrisis? Why Trump’s midterm drubbing gives us reason for cautious hope
For the better part of a decade, reading the news has felt like watching a pile-up in slow motion. A pandemic. Wars in Ukraine, Gaza and Sudan. A cost-of-living squeeze that never quite eases. Wildfire smoke settling over Canadian cities. And the climate numbers keep setting records nobody wanted: a…
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And What About Europe’s Center-Left?
As U.S. Democrats sweep into power, European progressives are wondering how to move forward.
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Socialists Need Our Own Foreign Policy Agenda
It is common for mainstream news outlets and political commentators in the United States to describe socialists as “very liberal” or simply “progressive,” or to puzzle over how to draw ideological lines between democratic socialists and others on the broad Left. There are, in fact, serious differenc…
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In Last Night’s Midterms, the Left Proved It Can Win
The Left has been so conditioned in the Trump era to look aghast and horrified at election results that it is still hard to fully believe the outcome today. Yet the historic events of last night really did happen: Donald Trump and Republicans suffered a historic rebuke from voters, handing Democrats…
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In Finland, the Left Can Lead on Fair AI Policy
Finland’s next general election has been set for next April 18, hopefully bringing an end to the National Coalition Party’s current slash-and-burn coalition, in which the far-right Finns Party plays a key role. Recent polls have, however, seen the latter worryingly rise to second position, becoming…
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‘Radical’ or ‘hero’?: France debates leftist candidate Jean-Luc Melenchon
The hard-left leader has transformed into a real contender in next year presidential elections.
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Whatever Centrists Say, the Left Won Big in the Midterms
As recently as five years ago, the argument against the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) and the Left from centrists and libs in the Democratic Party was this: Run left or socialist or progressive candidates, and you’ll lose; because the Trumpists are so terrible, you can’t afford to run that…
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Europe’s protest wave looks like 1968, but the demands are fundamentally different
A protester throws a bottle towards a police van during clashes in Barcelona, Spain, on October 5. Lino De Vallier / Shutterstock Spain’s November 11 general strike, called in response to a housing crisis, stagnant wages and rising living costs, is part of a much wider European story. Student-led pr…
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Can the DSA Build Working-Class Power?
Over the past decade, the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) has moved from an obscure Cold War holdover to one of the most influential organizations in US politics. But even with continued electoral success, is it at risk of stalling out? On this latest episode of the podcast , Vivek Chibber di…
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What comes after networked authoritarianism?
October’s spotlight on Big Tech and Authoritarianism explored a range of relationships between tech companies and political actors across the global majority.
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The Brazilian left’s quest to ‘tame’ Meta: A narrative of denouncement and resistance
In our October edition of Undertones, we examine a movement calling for accountability and coordinated online action to challenge Meta’s problematic content moderation policies and governance practices in Brazil.
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The Rise of the Christian Left in Texas
James Talarico, Frederick D. Haynes, and Gina Hinojosa are all Christians running for public office — as Democrats — in Texas. The post The Rise of the Christian Left in Texas appeared first on The Intercept.
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Public Ownership of Key Economic Sectors Is Popular
Democratic voters overwhelmingly support the public ownership and operation of several key industries. At least one of the Democratic politicians who want to win the party’s next presidential primary should take note. A I recently commissioned from the Center for Strategic Politics found that a supe…
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Portland’s Socialists Have Built a Political Machine
Over the last two years, the Portland, Oregon, chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) has developed a reputation for punching far above its city’s weight. The chapter sits the New York, Los Angeles, and Washington, DC, chapters in terms of size, and roughly one in two hundred Portland…
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Mapping how France’s protest wave spread across Europe
More than 1,700 cost-of-living demonstrations have hit 31 European countries since mid-September, led by France.
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The Midterms Were a Pretty Good Sign for the Right-to-Repair Movement
A shifting political landscape gives right-to-repair advocates their best shot yet at meaningful federal reform.
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The Pressure on LA’s First Socialist Mayor
Nithya Raman carried the democratic socialist label without running a socialist campaign. Will she govern like one? The post The Pressure on LA’s First Socialist Mayor appeared first on The Intercept.
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DSA Is Eyeing a 2028 AOC Presidential Run
The Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) is entering a new phase. After decades on the political margins, DSA has helped elect a socialist mayor of New York City, won a string of congressional primaries, and grown to over 130,000 members. Now, as chapters across the country call for Alexandria Oca…
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How the streets and a social media army led Lula to a historic win in Brazil
After ending the first round 2.2 million votes behind his opponent, Flávio Bolsonaro, Lula won the election with a difference of 4 million votes, and will serve a fourth term as president
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How a Socialist Can Govern a City Under the Thumb of the Trump Administration
Janeese Lewis George is part of a new class of socialist mayors. Unlike her peers, she’ll be running a city under federal rule. The post How a Socialist Can Govern a City Under the Thumb of the Trump Administration appeared first on The Intercept.
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Democratic Socialists of America see record wins in US midterm elections
The left-wing movement has won support for its views on issues like the war in Gaza and universal healthcare.
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Los Angeles mayoral race points to growing sway of democratic socialists
Nithya Raman taps into frustration with economic and political status quo to become mayor of the second-largest US city.