The Progressive Revolution: Muad Hrezi’s Insights on the Future of the Democratic Party.

“Two roads diverged in the yellow road," and a growing number of Democrats are taking the path less traveled — supporting the progressive faction over the moderate establishment. Since 2018, the number of progressives in office has skyrocketed and currently stands at nearly 100 members. The rising number inevitably points to rising support for their policies among the Democrat base. Indeed, progressive voters constituted a plurality among Democrats in 2020. The past election cycles had countless front-page stories of progressive candidates, from Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez to Ayanna Pressley, who successfully defeated decades-long incumbents in the party primaries. 

However, their signature policies – the Green New Deal and Medicare for All – failed to pass Congress despite broad support. Faced with a lack of a monumental policy passage, progressive Democrats fear that their revolution might be a mere rotation, destined to reverse any potential progress. With these questions in mind, I had the honor of interviewing Muad Hrezi, progressive Democrat candidate for Connecticut District 1 and former Tarheel, on his race, the most pressing healthcare and economic issues for the nation, and the future of the Democratic Party. 

Hrezi, a political newcomer, is fighting an uphill battle against the 22-year incumbent, John B. Larson, making the former Tar Heel the first-ever primary challenger to Larson. Yet, there are signs that the first-generation American is making headwinds. His fundraising numbers performed strongly in the last quarter of 2021 by raising $182,529 – which, according to Hrezi, is "more than sitting members of Congress." Muad confidently believes, based on his growing support, that the Democrat base is changing. Specifically, he believes voters feel discontent at rising levels of healthcare inequities and industry capture.

As a progressive, Muad Hrezi supports Medicare for All. His reasoning is personal: "At the age of 17, my parents took out a huge medical debt to make sure that my mom had a kidney surgery that saved her life. A few months later, I went to the same hospital for treatment and was unable to breathe. And they delayed my care, which almost killed me." The growing support for Medicare for All, now at 63%, conveys that Hrezi's views are not uncommon. Indeed, the statistics are harrowing: over half of the population has medical debt while 31.1 million Americans lack health insurance. Progressive candidates have capitalized on such distressing statistics in the past, allowing them to pave a path to the Capitol building. For example, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez's support for Medicare for All resonated in a state where 56 hospitals infamously placed liens on 4,880 patients because of unpaid debt. COVID-19 may make the progressive policy more popular, especially when 2-3 million Americans lost private insurance in job layoffs. "In healthcare, [COVID-19] has shown us that the poorest are typically the most vulnerable and have the worst access to care. We see the most marginalized African Americans and Hispanics having a whole lot of healthcare issues and typically that's because they're not able to access the primary care system and able to get the medication and treatment that they need." Hrezi's statement is stark yet true: COVID-19 exposed the inequitable streak of the US healthcare system, where minorities are two times more likely to die from the virus. Hrezi hopes that such blatant evidence of medical disparities will "force [policymakers] to reckon with these challenges," but does not believe that this will happen "unless we get different people in Congress."

Similarly, Muad Hrezi believes that corporate interests cloud the eyes of politicians and hinder the power of everyday citizens. In the aftermath of Citizens United vs. the Federal Election Commission, political lobbying skyrocketed by 412%. According to Hrezi's campaign website, he witnessed firsthand the level of corporate capture in Congress when he worked as a healthcare policy analyst for Senator Christ Murphy. The candidate now pushes for change through the ballot box. "Our job is to re-capture our government. If we don't, nothing is going to change. Our job is to elect more people who are unbeholden to corporate interests." Thus, Hrezi refuses to accept corporate donations and pledges to reel in big business. His focus on "economic justice" follows the progressive pattern. Over 78% of Democrats and 61% of the general public believe that economic inequality is too high. In a climate where income inequality is integral to the national political conversation, progressive candidates have pledged to promote equity-focused policies: raising the corporate tax rate, advocating for a $15 minimum wage, and regulating Wall Street. 

However, progressive candidates – including Muad Hrezi – still struggle to win over wary votes. Connecticut's District 1 swings Democrat by thirteen points; thus, the race is far from a swing election. However, the numbers may not represent the on-the-ground situation. CT-01 is home to major insurance companies and aerospace manufacturers. The largest employers in the district include Aetna and United Healthcare – both medical insurance corporations. Even Hrezi acknowledged that he was running in the "healthcare insurance capital of the world." The former Tarheel's focus on regulating big business may scare voters. Nationally, progressives face a similar issue: wariness from voters who believe their signature policies are too drastic. To exemplify, after pointing out that Medicare for All would necessitate higher taxes, voter support for the policy dropped by 19 points. Especially when Biden's presidential victory heavily relied on swing votes, many Democrats are wary of straying from the moderate establishment and choose to utilize strategic voting. 

Although Robert Frost commends that his decision “made all the difference," Progressive Democrats are fearful that they may never create reverberating change. Muad Hrezi is only one of many political newcomers seeking a win, but his campaign represents both the strengths and weaknesses of numerous progressive candidates. The candidate remains hopeful: "The beauty of America is that you can change the system. While the system right now is captured, it was once not captured and we can unlock it again." As a lighthearted last question, I asked Hrezi to predict the results of Saturday’s UNC-Duke game, to which he responded "there's only one correct answer and it's always that we're going to win." It remains to be seen whether Hrezi's campaign will meet the same fate as the UNC men's basketball team.