A group of Democrats are trying to rebrand the party as “patriotic” amid a growing rift with the progressive Left.

Pat Ryan, a New York House member, has launched a Political Action Committee (PAC) to support candidates with backgrounds in the military, teaching or as first responders.

The group, called Patriotic PAC, plans to raise $2 million by the 2026 midterm elections and hopes to project the Democrats as the “party of service”.

“The Republican Party cannot make a claim on [Patriotism] anymore,” Mr Ryan told Politico. “That creates not only an opportunity, but a need for the Democratic Party to assert what has always been foundational to us, which is that we are that party of selflessness and the common good.”

Since Mr Trump returned to office, Mr Ryan, who holds a battleground seat, has urged Democrats to embrace “patriotic populism” to counter the Maga movement.

Straddling the divide between left-wingers and moderates, Mr Ryan hopes his new committee will sidestep partisan divisions by selecting the “best people” to take the fight to the Republican Party.

Hard-Left figures such as New York congresswoman Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez, who is reportedly eying a 2028 presidential bid, are pressuring the party to double down on culture war issues and high taxes on the wealthy.

Politicians on the hard-Left of the party have been buoyed by Zohran Mamdani’s shock Democratic mayoral primary win.