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Democrats are rolling out The Bench — a new political group pushing a crop of rising star candidates aiming to remake the party.
The organization, which was formally launched earlier this month by a handful of campaign veterans, says its mission is to spend resources to build a bench full of candidates which they highlight as “the future of the Democratic Party.”
The launch of the new group comes as Democrats aim to win back House and Senate majorities in this year’s midterm elections, but as the party also suffers from historically low favorability and approval ratings.
The party in power in Washington, D.C., which this year is clearly the GOP, normally faces stiff political headwinds in the midterm elections. And the latest national polls indicate that President Donald Trump’s approval ratings remain well underwater, fueled in part by Americans’ continued deep concerns over persistent inflation.
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House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., speaks as Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., looks on during a news conference by the top two Democrats in Congress, at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 8, 2026 in Washington, D.C. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)
But Democrats have their own polling problems, with a slew of surveys dating back a year indicating the party’s brand hitting historic lows.
The Bench, in a statement, says the candidates they’re backing “can help us repair our brand, they are best positioned to win general election races and hold onto seats.”
The group plans to provide these candidates “with the tools, strategy, and support to run serious, solutions-focused campaigns that challenge the status quo, connect with voters, and deliver real results for the people they serve.”
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The group, which includes well-known Democratic operative and strategist Lis Smith and communications specialist Andrew Mamo, has been working for months to recruit and build up three Senate candidates and a dozen House contenders.
Michigan state Sen. Mallory McMorrow, a Democratic Senate candidate, is being backed by a new Democrat-aligned group titled “The Bench.” (Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images)
The Senate candidates are Michigan state Senate Majority Whip Mallory McMorrow, Texas state lawmaker and Presbyterian seminarian James Talarico, and Iowa state Rep. Josh Turek, a Paralympian wheelchair basketball player.
In House races, the group is backing are Jamie Ager in North Carolina’s 11th Congressional District, Shannon Bird in Colorado’s 8th District, Bob Brooks in Pennsylvania’s 7th District, Cait Conley in New York’s 17th District, and Mike Cortese in Tennessee’s 5th District.
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The list also includes Sam Forstag in Montana’s 1st District, Sarah Trone Garriott in Iowa’s 3rd District, Matt Maasdam in Michigan’s 7th District, Darren McAuley in Florida’s 15th District, Denise Blaya Powell in Nebraska’s 2nd CDDistrictand Bobby Pulidio in Texas’ 15th District.
Texas State Rep. James Talarico, a Democratic Senate candidate, is being supported by a new Democrat-aligned group titled ‘The Bench.’ (Brandon Bell/Getty Images)
And this week, the group backed Nancy Lacore in South Carolina’s 1st District. Lacore, a 35-year military veteran who served as a Navy helicopter pilot and later as chief of the Navy Reserve, a 60,000-person force, was removed from her post last August by War Secretary Pete Hegseth.
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The group notes that the candidates they’re supporting range from progressives to centrists.
“These candidates aren’t united by ideology, but by a willingness to break from Democratic defaults, speak honestly to their communities, and compete seriously in places the party has too often written off,” the group said.
But Mike Marinella, spokesman for the National Republican Congressional Committee, told Fox News Digital, “The Democrat Party is a broken brand, and they’re stitching it together with deeply radical candidates. They’re too woke for the working class, too weak to get anything done, and too lost to get out of the wilderness.”
