Nine months into Donald Trump’s second term, the Democratic Party finds itself in the midst of an identity struggle, with Zohran Mamdani and Abigail Spanberger emerging as front-runners in two of Tuesday’s most closely watched races.

Spanberger, 46, is a former CIA officer and the daughter of a nurse and federal agent. She has consistently criticized what she sees as her party’s excesses, bringing that perspective from Congress to the campaign trail. Mamdani, 34, a democratic socialist born in Uganda to a university professor and filmmaker, gained attention with his focus on the cost of living, delivering messages through viral, multilingual videos calling for expanded government support.

“This isn’t a sitcom pitch,” observers note—it reflects a party still defining its identity and figuring out how to appeal to voters. Heading into Tuesday’s elections, Democrats remain divided between moderates and progressives, a split that contributed to struggles in last year’s presidential race. Many fear being associated with Mamdani’s democratic socialism or anti-Israel views, even as his energetic communications and appeal to young voters draw attention.

Spanberger clearly distinguishes herself from Mamdani. On her campaign bus Friday in Ashland, Virginia, she remarked, “Why is it that everybody keeps thinking somebody running in a city, admittedly an enormous city, that that is the deciding race?”

When asked about Mamdani’s claim that he had won the battle over the soul of the Democratic Party, Spanberger smiled. “Then maybe,” she said, “he should be a Democrat.” She noted that while democratic socialism is gaining buzz, she does not see it rising as a dominant force, criticizing some of Mamdani’s big promises as unrealistic.

“People do want us to be aspirational and dream big. They also don’t want us to lie to them,” she told. “When you have a party that makes promise after promise, and then say, ‘Oh, we passed it in the House, it’s not our fault’ — vulnerable people believed you. Maybe he is going to get Albany on board with totally refinancing public transportation. But there’s a lot of people who believe him.”

Mamdani’s campaign did not respond to Spanberger’s comments directly. At an event Friday, he expressed openness to more moderate campaigns in Virginia and New Jersey, emphasizing inclusivity: “Absolutely, I think that this has to be a party that actually allows Americans to see themselves in it and not just be a mirror image of just a few people who are engaged in politics. To me, what binds all of us together is who we are fighting to serve, and that is working people.”

Spanberger pointed out that polls suggest she may be more likely to surpass 50% in her state than Mamdani is in his city. She faces a three-way race in Virginia against a Republican who failed to earn Trump’s endorsement, while Mamdani is focused on securing a mandate for his agenda in New York City.

New York mayoral races rarely have national implications, but Mamdani’s rise—from 1% in the polls to defeating former Gov. Andrew Cuomo—has made this contest a marquee event. Rep. Ro Khanna noted Mamdani’s ability to energize young voters, while also recognizing Spanberger and Sherrill’s outreach in rural and suburban areas. “They fit together,” Khanna said, “in that Democrats are rejecting the status quo and saying we need a fresh generation of leaders and saying, ‘We’re not going to define our identity around Donald Trump.’”

Yet Democratic leaders planning next year’s campaigns caution against using Mamdani as a blueprint. Rep. Suzan DelBene emphasized that voters in swing states care more about local representation than New York City politics. Democratic Governors Association Executive Director Meghan Meehan-Draper added, “If you want to be a party that wins, gets results and is popular in the eyes of voters, you should look to Democratic governors.”

Sherrill, a close friend of Spanberger, pointed out her own success in primaries, saying, “New Jerseyans want competence — they want someone who is going to attack prices, someone who is listening to their concerns.” When asked whether Mamdani represents the party’s future, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said, “No.” Mamdani responded wryly: “That’s good to know.”

Spanberger has carved her own path, relying on experience rather than flashy charisma. Along with Sherrill, she helped flip the House during Trump’s first term and has successfully navigated legislation under both Biden and Trump. She says her approach resonates with voters who are now more focused and organized than in 2017.

Mamdani, for his part, emphasizes giving voice to those long excluded from politics. “Too long we’ve been told that we should wait,” he said Saturday in Queens, “but to wait would be to trust who gave us this moment, who delivered us to it.” Andrew Epstein, his communications director, added, “The style is downstream from the substance… unless you have a message and an agenda that is directly relevant to people’s lives… it’s not going to work.”

Sen. Ruben Gallego highlighted the different approaches but underscored the party’s flexibility: “I don’t think Mamdani could win in Arizona, I don’t think I could win New York City, but it doesn’t mean that some of this stuff is also wrong. He cares about the cost of living like many of us; we just take different approaches to it.”

Gallego concluded, “Democrats have always been that way… Look at the Republicans, look at those weirdos, man. They have a weird span of things.”