‘Are you willing to fight back?’: Democrats ready to take on party’s old guard ahead of midterms

After Zohran Mamdani's upset, a new wave of challengers targets incumbents, driven by fury at Donald Trump

They are impatient, unafraid and hungry for change. Inspired by Zohran Mamdani's shock victory in last year's New York mayoral race, a wave of insurgents is mounting primary challenges against Democratic incumbents ahead of November's midterm elections.

The emboldened lineup of primary challengers - often, but not always, from the party's progressive wing - has been fuelled by anger over the party's tepid response to Donald Trump's authoritarianism, complicity in the war in Gaza and a crushing affordability crisis.