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There has been a great deal of talk and controversy recently about the growing popularity of the Progressive movement in American politics and its ability to influence the outcome of the 2026 midterm elections. Critics within both the Democratic Party and the Trump conservative MAGA base view the Progressives as radical and out of the mainstream of party positions for espousing socialist dogma and promoting policies that advocate government intervention in the national economy, redistribution of wealth though a billionaire’s tax, and a range of social and environmental reform issues from health care for all Americans, affordable housing and vigorous response to climate change. It is important to remember that the current Progressives are not a fringe group that has little support among everyday Americans; in fact, there are increasing signs that this movement for change in the economic and social life of this country has struck a political “nerve” in the electorate in a way similar to what occurred in the 20th century in my home state of Wisconsin. As someone who was born and raised in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, I remember the first Progressive leaders — U.S. Senator Robert “Fighting Bob” La Follette (1906-1925) and the Socialist Mayor of Milwaukee Frank Zeidler, who served from 1948-1956.

Robert La Follette had a long and illustrious career as a political leader in Wisconsin. A Republican, La Follette served as U.S. Representative from 1885-1891, Governor from 1901-1906, and U.S. Senator from 1906-1925. During his time as senator, La Follette pushed for a number of Progressive reforms often called the “Wisconsin idea.” He challenged the big banks and utilities and their control of national politics by increasing their tax rates and changing railroad rules that lowered shipping costs; he was a champion of labor, especially worker safety; and he opposed United States involvement in World War I and advocated for the right of Americans to speak out against the war. Perhaps his greatest achievement was in advancing the 17th Amendment, which gave voters the right to directly elect their senators rather than allow party leaders in the legislatures to control the electoral process. He ran for the presidency in 1924 as a third-party candidate, uniting the Socialist Party, farm organizations and labor unions. During the campaign, La Follette stated that his primary objective in running against Calvin Coolidge was to end the “combined power of the private monopoly system over the political and economic life of the American people.” He ran on a platform of government ownership of railroads and electric utilities, cheap credit for farmers, outlawing child labor, and a 10-year term for members of the federal judiciary. He received 16.6% of the national vote but lost out to Coolidge and died shortly after the election.

Although La Follette passed from the political scene, his wife, Belle Case, remained an important figure in the Progressive Party, and his son, Robert La Follette Jr., succeeded his father as Wisconsin senator in the Progressive Party. His influence spread to Progressive politicians in neighboring Minnesota and in Oregon and Vermont, where current Senator Bernie Sanders is often viewed as a modern-day La Follette. In 1957 Senator John F. Kennedy placed La Follette in the Senate Hall of Fame with Henry Clay, Daniel Webster, John C. Calhoun and Robert Taft. A 1982 survey among historians named La Follette as one of the “10 greatest senators in the nation’s history.”

In an urban rather than national setting, Milwaukee’s Frank Zeidler was the last Socialist/Progressive mayor to hold office until the recent election of New York’s Zohran Mamdani. Upon his election in 1948, Zeidler carried on the Socialist policies of his predecessor, Daniel Hoan, as Milwaukee became defined as a Socialist city. Despite opposition from the business community and the media, and with no Socialist allies on the city’s Common Council, Zeidler moved forward by expanding the freeway system and the park system (Milwaukee County Stadium, the initial home of the Milwaukee Braves and the University of Wisconsin/Milwaukee were built during his mayoralty), constructed numerous libraries and low-income public housing units, limited municipal budget expenditures and debt accumulation, and supported the civil rights movement by welcoming thousands of African-Americans to Milwaukee to work in the growing industrial sector.

In 1957, Zeidler was named by Fortune Magazine as the mayor of one of the two best-governed cities in the United States, and a historical survey published in 1993 ranked Zeidler the 21st best big city mayor serving between years 1820 and 1993. In 1960, Zeidler declined the invitation to run for President as a Socialist candidate as he had tired of the years of tension and disputes with the Common Council and the business community. After leaving office, he turned to work as a consultant to the Ford Foundation, a public arbitrator and the chair of the Socialist Party USA. He died in 2006 at the age of 93.

Although “Fighting Bob” La Follette, the Republican Progressive, and Mayor Frank Zeidler, the Socialist Progressive, came from another era in American government and politics, they share some key similarities with today’s Progressives. Both pushed for an aggressive dedication to improve the lives of the working men and women through job creation, affordable housing and education; both had a passionate desire to challenge the economic elites with a socialist approach to public policy and wealth distribution; and both were committed to expanding democratic opportunities for voters at the ballot box and in the centers of governing power. While La Follette concentrated more on limiting the influence of the captains of industry through taxation and regulation, Zeidler used his office to build infrastructure projects, advance the cause of social justice and civil rights, and ensure that his city was fiscally responsible and on solid ground.

Both men were hard-working public servants who used their time in office to enhance reform and advocate for change. La Follette introduced the “Wisconsin idea” as an expert-driven pathway to inject new approaches to improve the lives of everyday citizens, while Zeidler was a practical socialist (he abhorred communism) who was drawn to the ideology because of its emphasis on peace, brotherhood, equal distribution of goods and democratic planning. There was never a hint of corruption or ethical misdeeds during their time in office, and both men, despite facing political opposition, were viewed as men of principle and honesty.

Today’s Progressives like New York’s Mamdani and U.S. Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez carry on the tradition of these early leaders of reform and change. Mamdani talks about opening up state-run grocery stores for those in need, starting free day care centers for low-income families, and passing tax policies that redistribute wealth away from the super-rich. Ocasio-Cortez is an outspoken critic of the corruption that is rampant in Congress and the White House and demands that those entrusted with the responsibilities of governing foster and implement policies that are in the common good. Both Mamdani and Ocasio-Cortez face enormous political challenges as Progressives because they are viewed by conservatives and many in their own party as socialists (some say communists) who would turn this country away from its capitalist, private sector, market-based foundations.

There is no doubt that today’s Progressives promote socialist ideas and ideals and would bring significant changes to the current economic system despite strong opposition from the traditional political establishment. But like La Follette and Zeidler, the new Progressives are viewed by many Americans as working for the interests of the working class, the left behind, and the younger generations who are not enjoying the opportunities of those that came before them. The new Progressives like to be called democratic socialists because they see their role as using the electoral system as a tool for institutional reform and change. La Follette and Zeidler brought major policy advances to the country and Milwaukee, but now it is the new Progressives’ turn to make democratic socialism work for the people. Only time will tell if they are successful.