Why a new progressive era in America is likely - in about 20 years

A new progressive era is dawning in America, and almost nothing Republicans can do will hold back the tide unless Republicans destroy democracy altogether (more on this in a moment)

-  Robert Reich

Start with the recent victories. In Chicago, progressive Brandon Johnson, a once little-known county commissioner and union organizer, won the mayor's race over his more conservative Democratic opponent, Paul Vallas, who ran on a tough-on-crime platform and was endorsed by a police union.

In Wisconsin, Janet Protasiewicz, a liberal Milwaukee County judge, won a high-stakes race for a seat on the state's Supreme Court.

A progressive now holds the mayor's office in Los Angeles, and progressives compose a majority on the board of aldermen in St. Louis.

Progressives have swept into statehouses in Colorado, Connecticut, and Wisconsin (where two Democratic Socialists this year revived a socialist caucus inactive since the 1930s).

John Fetterman successfully campaigned for Senate in Pennsylvania. In Virginia, progressive Jennifer McClellan became the first Black woman to represent the state in Congress. The House's Congressional Progressive Caucus has added 16 new members, bringing the total number of the organization to 102. It is now among the largest caucuses in Congress.

These newly elected progressives view America's widening inequalities of income and wealth as dangerous. They believe the government has no business forcing women to give birth or telling consenting adults how to conduct the most intimate aspects of their lives. They want to limit access to guns. They see climate change as an existential threat to the nation and the world. They want to act against systemic racism. They want to protect American democracy from authoritarianism.

The bigger news is that these progressive leaders couldn't have gotten to where they are without a fundamental transformation occurring in America: Voters who also believe these things are rapidly becoming the majority.