By: Mike Czerniewski
My journey into social democracy began in 2016.
That year, Bernie Sanders—the Progressive/Democratic Socialist Senator from Vermont—ran for president as a Democrat. He faced Hillary Clinton, the Secretary of State at the time (also, former First Lady and former Senator from New York), who broadly represented the party’s establishment wing.
While both ran under the same banner, their political philosophies differed significantly.
Clinton’s political evolution is well documented; she began her career as a Republican before shifting toward more center-left positions over time. Even so, her approach often reflected a more incremental, pragmatic style of politics.
Her campaign, at times, struggled to articulate a compelling, forward-looking message beyond experience and historic significance—something that would later become a broader challenge for Democratic candidates.
Sanders, by contrast, emphasized a consistent set of priorities: holding wealthy individuals and corporations accountable, making everyday life more affordable, and expanding economic security.
His platform included policies such as single-payer healthcare, a higher minimum wage, and tax reforms aimed at increasing contributions from top earners.
Another aspect of Sanders’ campaign that resonated with me was his critique of money in politics—the idea that large financial influence distorts democratic outcomes.
This became one of my central concerns with the Democratic establishment: a reliance on fundraising that can limit the range of viable candidates, often putting more progressive challengers at a disadvantage.
In 2016, while I was running for the Kansas Senate, Sanders’ campaign team reached out to offer support. Notably, similar support did not extend to my better-funded opponent, who entered the race in what became the only state legislative primary in Johnson County that year.
(I would also like to point out: I was on the ballot first, having gotten myself on the ballot in January 2015. My opponent employed some very shady tactics to try to get on the ballot – one of which could have landed at least one volunteer in prison. The short version of this tactic: even if it’s supposed to be meant as a joke, don’t tell potential voters to sign your petition by threatening that they wouldn’t be allowed to vote.)
Ultimately, the better-funded campaign prevailed—a pattern I saw repeat itself in 2018 and 2020.
I also observed that some establishment candidates held positions that overlapped significantly with moderate Republicans. In at least one case, a Republican who won a 2016 state Senate race later switched parties and became a Democrat.
For me, social democracy represents a policy framework aimed at improving material conditions for working- and middle-class people, including myself.
It also aligns, in my view, with moral principles found in religious teachings. As Matthew 22:39 states: “Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.” I see that ethic—mutual care and responsibility—as foundational to the vision of society that social democracy seeks to promote.
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