Some of the Most Problematic Democrats in Congress, 2026

Bad Blues 2026b

By RootsAction, May 14, 2026
(Click here to read the original 2019 Bad Blues report.)

We offer the following guide to six of the most problematic Democratic members of the U.S. House of Representatives. They are all being primaried by significantly more progressive and democratic candidates. The list is not exhaustive, and people should look closely at opportunities in the districts they live in. But, nationally, in an age of surging gerrymandering, with corporate media heavily focused on general elections, the following are opportunities for those who care about the future of the country to offer their time, resources, and energy where it really counts.

It isn’t easy to defeat a Democratic incumbent in a primary. Typically, the worse the Congress member, the more corporate and AIPAC funding they will receive. While most insurgent primary campaigns will not win, they’re often very worthwhile — helping progressive constituencies to get better organized and to win elections later. A grassroots primary campaign can also motivate a Democratic incumbent, at least temporarily, to pay more attention to voters and less to big funders.

In June 2019, RootsAction published its first Bad Blues report, which focused on 15 of the worst or most problematic Democrats in the House. Three of them were later successfully primaried. We followed that report with Meet the PINOs: "Progressive In Name Only" in 2021, which moved the focus from some of the worst Democrats to those in progressive districts who were masquerading as progressives.

The current report, in the midst of the 2026 primaries, aims to unmask some injurious House Democrats, including those most often lining up to cast decisive votes with Republicans and against most members of their own party. We are not including many of those who are either not being challenged by a strong progressive or are not being challenged at all in primaries that, in many cases, effectively decide the general election winners. On a positive note, already this year Analilia Mejia won her primary (and general) election in a special election in New Jersey's 11th district, with supporters nationwide demonstrating their understanding of the importance of Mejia’s primary. In the Maine Democratic primary for a U.S. Senate seat, Graham Platner took such a lead over the establishment candidate that she dropped out.

Here are six Bad Blues of 2026:

Jim Costa (CA-16)

In 2025, 11-term Democratic Congressman Jim Costa voted with Republicans and against Democrats 35% of the time, according to Vote Hub. Sometimes, such votes are decisive. Over the years, the now-74-year-old Costa has acted with most Republicans and against most Democrats 25 times when Democrats could have prevailed had they all voted together — 24 times by voting with the Republicans and once by not voting at all.

Some of Costa's Republican tendencies are symbolic. In 2025, Costa was one of 10 Democrats who joined Republicans in voting to censure Congressman Al Green for interrupting a speech by President Trump. Sometimes, Costa's opposition to his own party is extremely substantive. In 2021 Costa was one of nine Democrats who worked successfully to derail President Biden's big economic reform agenda, which ended up being significantly scaled back.

Costa has been a longtime backer of wars and supported shipping weapons to Israel during the slaughter of civilians in Gaza. In March 2026, as Democrats were trying to pass a war powers resolution to halt the war on Iran, Costa was one of six Democrats who introduced a competing piece of legislation to allow Trump to wage an illegal war for one month. Costa had been a strong supporter of the U.S.-Saudi war on Yemen; in 2018 he was one of just five House Democrats to join with Republicans to pass a farm bill that included a provision preventing Congress from blocking U.S. military assistance to Saudi Arabia. In 2025, he was one of 46 Democrats who voted for a controversial bill that empowered the Department of Homeland Security to detain people accused of any crime, including shoplifting.

Costa has taken in more than $900,000 in his career from groups promoting the Israeli government, including the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC). Thus far in the current election cycle, he has taken in $1,105,269 from all sources, with AIPAC his top organizational funder, and the top industry paying for his campaign being agribusiness.

Costa has supported various efforts to allow agribusiness to pollute and to avoid cleaning up environmental disasters. In April 2026, he was one of 14 Democrats to help Republicans pass a disastrous five-year farm bill. In 2024, Costa was one of nine Democrats who joined with Republicans against President Biden's effort to pause exports of liquid "natural" gas. In 2015, he was one of 28 House Democrats to vote with the GOP to authorize construction of the Keystone XL pipeline. In 2011, he was one of only 19 House Democrats who voted to prohibit the EPA from regulating greenhouse gas emissions. The League of Conservation Voters, which is generous in giving 100% scores to many Democrats who don’t deserve it, gives Costa a score of 62%. Defenders of Wildlife gives Costa a score of 33%.

Costa is a member of both corporate-allied Democratic caucuses in Congress — the New Democrat Coalition and the 10-member Blue Dog Coalition. In 2021, he was one of a handful of Democrats trying to prevent working families from receiving child tax credits.

Costa is now facing a “jungle” primary in which one of the candidates, Lourin Hubbard, has a platform far more in line with Costa's constituents (not to mention the rest of the world) — albeit less with the wishes of Costa's funders.

Lois Frankel (FL-22)

Congresswoman Lois Frankel quit the Progressive Caucus in 2023 because not all of its members shared her "unwavering support for Israel” — as a genocide was developing. She joined with Republicans and roughly 20 Democrats to censure Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib over her unequivocal opposition to Israel’s war on Gaza, distorting Tlaib's statements. In 2021, Frankel had signed onto a similarly dishonest condemnation of Congresswoman Ilhan Omar. In 2017, Frankel celebrated Trump's decision to call Jerusalem the capital of Israel. In 2023 she was one of 12 Democrats joining Republicans to fund weapons to Isreal and defund the IRS. In 2024 she was one of 16 Democrats joining with Republicans to approve more weapons shipments to Israel and to block President Biden from withholding 2,000-pound bombs.

In February 2026, Frankel published a press release about Trump's launching of war on Iran, which reads in its entirety:

"The Iranian regime and its proxies have wreaked murderous havoc across the region—targeting U.S. servicemembers, Israel, and other allies, while advancing dangerous missile and nuclear programs that threaten global security," said Rep. Frankel. "This threat must be eliminated, and President Trump should come to Congress to consult Members on his Administration’s objectives and plans moving forward. I am keeping our allies and our brave military in my thoughts as events unfold."

There's not even the obligatory lament over high gas prices there. Frankel has personal investments in top greenhouse gas emitters Duke Energy and Dominion Energy, and has failed to cosponsor the Green New Deal.

Frankel has taken in roughly two million dollars in her career from AIPAC and aligned organizations that promote the Israeli government. Thus far in the current election cycle, she has taken in $1,754,187 from all sources, with AIPAC her top organizational funder, and with the second-biggest funder having put in less than 10% of what AIPAC has.

In April 2026, Frankel was one of 42 Democrats who joined most Republicans in voting to give President Trump the power to spy on U.S. residents without warrants. Frankel has acted with most Republicans and against most Democrats nine times when Democrats could have prevailed had they all voted together — seven times by voting with the Republicans and twice by not voting.

After years of facing no opposition, Frankel is finally in a primary contest with activist and lawyer Victoria Doyle.

Susie Lee (NV-03)

Congresswoman Susie Lee from Las Vegas is a member of the corporatist New Democrat Coalition. Pinned to the top of her Twitter page in 2026 is a post from 2024 celebrating the fact that an organization named her the most bipartisan member of Congress — a supposed honor also celebrated on her congressional website — which also celebrates her endorsement by the Republican-oriented U.S. Chamber of Commerce.

Lee voted in agreement with the agenda of Donald Trump 34.5% of the time in 2025. She has acted with most Republicans and against most Democrats 22 times when Democrats could have prevailed had they all voted together, 21 times by voting with the Republicans and once by not voting.

Scroll down a bit on her Twitter / X page, and you find a tweet arguing that members of the military at Creech Air Force Base (where drone pilots push buttons to send missiles into people's homes around the world) should have convenient childcare, immediately followed by a tweet that says "Political violence has no place in our country."

The four-term congresswoman has taken in a whopping $2.5 million in her congressional career from pro-Israel groups, including AIPAC. She has supported shipping weapons to Israel during the Gaza slaughter. Thus far in the current election cycle, she has taken in $3,455,070 from all sources, with AIPAC her top organizational funder.

In April 2026, Lee was one of 42 Democrats who joined most Republicans in voting to give President Trump the power to spy on U.S. residents without warrants. In 2025, she was one of 46 Democrats who voted for a bill that empowered Homeland Security agents to kidnap people accused of any crime, even minor ones.

Lee has opposed the dumping of nuclear waste in Nevada, but not the funding of nuclear weapons or the bloated U.S. military budget. In both 2020 and 2021, she voted against amendments to cut 10% from the military budget. She has promoted war propaganda by inflating a nuclear weapons threat from Iran. She has criticized the Iran war because of Trump’s lack of “clear goals” and failure to consult Congress, but she hasn’t emphasized the mass killing or violations of law.

In 2020, according to the Washington Post, Lee "played a role in shaping the Paycheck Protection Plan when she joined other Nevada legislators to urge the Trump administration to make casinos eligible for funds. Excluding casinos from loans, as the SBA had long done, 'unfairly impacts countless small businesses throughout Nevada,' the legislators argued in an April news release. What Lee did not mention is that among the businesses being barred from applying for the funds was her husband’s Las Vegas casino company, Full House Resorts. When the administration complied with Lee’s request and allowed casinos to apply, Full House received two loans totaling $5.6 million, according to securities filings." The Trump administration issued a “waiver" exempting congressmembers from ethics rules to allow these coronavirus SBA loans.

Fortunately, Dr. James Lally, a candidate with a platform dramatically more in support of peace and justice, is challenging Susie Lee in the primary.

Joe Morelle (NY-25)

Congressman Joe Morelle is a member of the corporate-allied New Democrat Coalition. He has acted with most Republicans and against most Democrats nine times when Democrats could have prevailed had they all voted together, eight times by voting with the Republicans and once by not voting.

Morelle has taken in more than $500,000 in his career from groups promoting the agenda of the Israeli government, including AIPAC. Thus far in the current election cycle, he has taken in $1,312,762 from all sources, with AIPAC his top organizational funder, and the top industries paying his way being finance, insurance, and real estate.

Morelle has supported shipping weapons to Israel during the civilian slaughter in Gaza. In 2021, he signed an AIPAC-organized letter to then-Secretary of State Antony Blinken attempting to impede restoration of an Iran nuclear deal. The absence of a deal has led to Trump’s war, but Morelle has been unclear on whether he would support more billions in war spending.

In 2025, Morelle was one of 46 Democrats who voted for the Laken Riley Act that empowered Homeland Security to detain people accused of any crime, even shoplifting. In 2020, he voted to reauthorize warrantless government surveillance powers.

Despite declaring on his campaign website that "universal access to health care is a fundamental human right," Morelle has not cosponsored Medicare for All legislation. In a 2019 congressional hearing, Morelle raised "concerns" about "disruptions in the marketplace," and the taxes and costs associated with transitioning to Medicare for All.

While questioning the costs of Medicare for All, and failing to cosponsor the Green New Deal resolution, Morelle has routinely voted in favor of big military spending increases and against amendments to cut the Pentagon budget even by a mere 10%.

Morelle claims to support impeaching Trump, but says he needs to wait for the Democratic "leadership" to agree first.

A dramatically more inspiring candidate is longtime progressive activist Robin Wilt, who is running against Morelle in the primary.

Jimmy Panetta (CA-19)

Despite being a dutiful member of the corporatist New Democrat Coalition, Panetta is also, at least in name, a member of the Progressive Caucus. However, in 2025, he voted 25.9% of the time with Trump, according to Vote Hub. Panetta has voted with the Republicans 13 times when Democrats could have prevailed had they all voted together.

Panetta has taken in more than a million dollars in his career from AIPAC, its allies and organizations promoting the Israeli government’s agenda. Thus far in the current election cycle, he has taken in $2,205,483 from all sources, with leading sources including weapons dealers, banks, hospitals, and insurance companies.

In 2022, he was one of 16 Democrats to vote against an anti-monopoly bill that passed the U.S. House. In 2024, he was one of three Democrats on the House Budget Committee who backed a Republican scheme called the Fiscal Commission Act that threatened cuts in Social Security and Medicare. In 2024, he was one of 20 Democrats voting to repeal a law to reform policing in Washington D.C.

Panetta has voted to reauthorize the misnamed USA Freedom Act, backed military spending increases, and opposed modest attempts to rein in the military budget. He signed an AIPAC-organized letter to then-Secretary of State Antony Blinken attempting to impede restoration of an Iran nuclear deal. In March 2026, as Democrats were trying to pass a war powers resolution to halt the war on Iran, Panetta, like Rep. Costa above, was one of six Democrats who introduced a competing piece of legislation to allow Trump to wage an illegal war for one month. That same month, several prominent residents of Panetta's district wrote the following on a local news website:

"Rep. Jimmy Panetta has enabled Netanyahu from his first media release in Congress in January 2017, which opposed the Obama administration’s support for a United Nations resolution calling for a halt to new settlements on the West Bank. Panetta has consistently voted for military aid to Israel, most recently on Jan. 14. In support of Netanyahu’s blockade of humanitarian aid entering Gaza, Panetta voted to end U.S. funding for the U.N. humanitarian relief agency, United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) as part of a larger funding package. Even after the cease-fire of October 2025, Panetta voted to block U.S. funding for UNRWA. Panetta has supported Netanyahu by obstructing international justice. In May 2024, the prosecutor of the International Criminal Court presented evidence to the court of crimes against humanity, seeking arrest warrants for Netanyahu, then-Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and three Hamas leaders. In response, Panetta voted with House Republicans on a resolution to sanction International Criminal Court officials, dismissing the court’s charges as 'illegitimate and baseless.' It is no surprise that during the 2024 election cycle, Panetta was the largest recipient of campaign contributions from the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) in Northern California, according to a KQED report.”

In May 2026, with Trump demanding another massive increase in military spending, Panetta signed a statement urging a focus on China as the serious strategic threat, while supporting the widely held misunderstanding that under the War Powers Resolution an illegal war on Iran is acceptable for 60 days.

Progressive Sean Dougherty is running against Panetta in the primary.

Ritchie Torres (NY-15)

Congressman Ritchie Torres, from the Bronx, was elected in the poorest district in the country — a district won by mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani, with no endorsement from Torres.

Torres claims to work for the benefit of the poor, though his record includes significant dedication to war and the militarism that takes funding away from many other projects. He quit the Progressive Caucus in 2024, months after Lois Frankel (see above), over its insufficient support for the U.S.-funded Israeli attack on Gaza. He has also been open about moving to the right while in office, including deleting online records of his past positions. Even when first elected in 2020, Torres announced that he would not join the progressive "Squad" because it did not support condemning the nonviolent Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions movement against the Israeli government. Like Frankel, Torres joined with Republicans and roughly 20 Democrats in censuring Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib over her criticism of Israel’s war on Gaza, distorting Tlaib's statements.

Torres has been a defender of Israel’s war on Gaza, parroting a great deal of Israeli propaganda. He’s been heavily funded by pro-Trump, pro-Netanyahu funders. In response to anti-genocide protests on campus, Torres even proposed federally-sanctioned "antisemitism monitors" at U.S. universities. He voted to send weapons to Israel as the Gaza genocide was unfolding.

In 2025, Torres was one of 46 Democrats who joined all Republicans in voting for the controversial Laken Riley Act expanding Homeland Security agents’ power to detain. He has also introduced what he apparently saw as a solution to ICE agents murdering people in the street, namely putting QR codes on ICE uniforms so that, while they're attacking you, you can somehow scan a code, open a website, and find out their name.

In his short congressional career, Torres has taken in a whopping $6.7 million from AIPAC and aligned organizations promoting the Israeli government’s agenda. Thus far in the current election cycle, he has taken in $5,961,570 from all sources, with AIPAC his top organizational donor, and with the second-biggest funder having put in just over 10% of what AIPAC has.

A progressive candidate is running against Torres in the primary: Michael Blake, a community organizer and ordained minister.

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