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James Carville fired back at progressives who have suggested that the longtime Democrat leave the party, highlighting growing tensions between the moderate and progressive wings of the Democratic Party.
Speaking on “Saturday in America,” Carville reacted to clips from Michigan Democratic Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed’s recent appearance on progressive influencer Hasan Piker’s Twitch stream.
“James Carville fantasizing about leaving the party. I’m like, ‘You’re sweetening the deal,'” Piker said.
El-Sayed responded, “Why does anybody still listen to James Carville? He said one smart thing once, which he seems to have forgotten.”
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Twitch streamer Hasan Piker appears on the campaign trail with Michigan Democratic Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed. (Julia Demaree Nikhinson/AP Photo)
Carville feigned distress, saying, “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, a progressive backed by Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., narrowly defeated Rep. Haley Stevens in Michigan’s Democratic Senate primary Tuesday and will face Republican Mike Rogers in November.
Sanders defended El-Sayed and Piker on CNN, saying that if Carville doesn’t want to share a party with progressives, “he can start his own party.”
Carville responded by pointing to Sanders’ status as an independent and past electoral defeats.
“When he was a socialist, I was a Democrat,” Carville said. “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 he failed rather spectacularly both times.”
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Michigan Democratic Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed claps during a press conference in front of the Spirit of Detroit statue on Aug. 5, 2026, in Detroit. (Finn Gomez/Getty Images)
Carville has repeatedly warned about the influence of progressives in the Democratic Party and previously told “The Sunday Briefing” that he would not remain in the party if far-left figures like Piker became a larger force.
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“Look, I think that these, the progressive left, they’re very tech people. I think they’ve come up with an AI random stupid idea generator,” Carville said when asked about Francesca Hong, a progressive candidate for governor of Wisconsin.
“And I think the stupid idea generator can think of things that humans can’t, like canceling Thanksgiving or being against interracial dating. So, I’m just waiting for the next stupid idea AI generator that comes out,” he added.
Fox News Digital reached out to Sanders, El-Sayed’s campaign, Hong’s campaign and Piker for comment.
James Carville attends The New York Times DealBook Summit 2025 at Jazz at Lincoln Center on Dec. 3, 2025, in New York City. (David Dee Delgado/Getty Images for The New York Times)
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Despite his concerns about progressives in the party, Carville said he thinks El-Sayed will win the Michigan Senate seat.
“[El-Sayed’s] got some slack. He’d probably use every bit of it, but I still think he’s going to win,” Carville added.
