Bernie Sanders lost the fight in 2016. A decade later, he won the war.
Politico's Will Steakin argues that Bernie Sanders' economic populism, dismissed by the Democratic establishment in 2016, prevailed a decade later as candidates echoing his message — Abdul El-Sayed, James Talarico, Sam Forstag, Rebecca Cooke, and Zohran Mamdani — won across the country in the 2026 midterms. Strategist Morris Katz calls it proof his and Sanders' theory of politics won out, and says Ocasio-Cortez should consider a 2028 presidential run; Sanders says Democrats must rethink politics and stand up to the billionaires funding the party.
