James Carville responded to progressive calls for him to leave the Democratic Party, highlighting tensions between the party’s moderate and progressive factions. During a segment on ‘Saturday in America,’ Carville addressed comments from Michigan Democratic Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed during El-Sayed’s appearance with progressive influencer Hasan Piker on Twitch.
El-Sayed questioned Carville’s relevance, saying, “Why does anybody still listen to James Carville? He said one smart thing once, which he seems to have forgotten.” Carville, adopting a mock distressed tone, responded, “I don’t know what I can do. I can’t take it, please mama help me,” before adding, “Such vicious people, wow.”
El-Sayed, aligned with progressives like Sen. Bernie Sanders and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, narrowly defeated Rep. Haley Stevens in Michigan’s Democratic Senate primary. He will face Republican Mike Rogers in the upcoming November election. Sanders defended El-Sayed and Piker on CNN, suggesting that if Carville opposed progressives, he could “start his own party.”
Carville retorted by noting Sanders’ independent status and past Democratic nomination attempts. “When he was a socialist, I was a Democrat,” Carville remarked. “I’m still a Democrat. Is he one now? I have no idea. I do know that maybe he has some animosity because he tried twice to get the Democratic nomination for president and failed rather spectacularly both times.”
Carville has frequently cautioned against the growing influence of progressives, previously stating he would not remain in the party if figures like Piker gained prominence. He also criticized the progressive agenda, likening it to an “AI random stupid idea generator” with unpredictable proposals.
Despite his criticisms of the progressive wing, Carville predicted El-Sayed would win the Michigan Senate seat, noting, “[El-Sayed’s] got some slack. He’d probably use every bit of it, but I still think he’s going to win.”