One crucial Democratic constituency is up for grabs

Democratic US Senate candidate, Florida state Rep.

Angie Nixon. | Joe Raedle/Getty Images Welcome to The Midterms, Actually.

Every week I’ll be writing about two things: one big idea or trend I see forming across the 2026 primaries, and one thing I’m hearing from a voice on the ground.

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Let’s get into it.

One big idea: Black Democrats are facing a crossroads One thing I’m thinking: A party that once said “representation matters” is watching Black power recede — and two of my recent interviews show the fork in the road.

The civil war roiling the Democratic Party has typically been defined by ideological camps.

Moderates vs. progressives.

Establishment vs.

DSA.

But ahead of a wide-open presidential primary, where the party hopes to define who and what it’s fighting for, there are other fault lines as well.

A big one: Where does the party’s changing electorate leave its traditional bases of power — like Black voters and the elected officials who represent them? Black voters have been one of the most reliable Democratic constituencies for generations, and their elected officials, at least, have enjoyed the perks of access.

Looking back, there’s an argument that the Black Democratic class had more voice in the Joe Biden version of the Democratic Party than in the years of Barack Obama.

Biden had long maintained close relationships with Washington’s Black elected officials, going back to his decades representing Delaware .