During last year’s election, to say there was division among left wing groups and the Democratic Party, would not have been a bold statement. It seemed as though the once unified Democratic Party, was in a rift. The more progressive wing of the party, led by Senator Bernie Sanders and Senator Elizabeth Warren, was not in step with the more centrist aspects of the party. This became especially evident when Hillary Clinton won the Party’s nomination, and Bernie Sanders was booed for endorsing her run against the now-elected President Donald Trump. Throughout the previous presidential campaign, there was a quasi-civil war taking place among the Progressives and the Democratic Party establishment.

The Democratic Party fell further into disarray, when Wikileaks plagued Clinton’s run for presidency and the Democratic Party by dumping a large amount emails from the party’s inner circle throughout the election. The content within these emails exposed corruption, and further chipped away at the glue that appeared to be holding the Democrats together. The progressive wing was shocked to see that Senator Sanders was held back by the Democratic Party, and in concert with the super delegate system, he never stood a chance at receiving the party’s nomination.

Finally, the unexpected happened, and Donald Trump was elected. This was a stunning revelation for the Democrats to deal with. What made the event even more dire for them, was that pollsters had been consistently predicting a sweeping win for Clinton. To further compound their issues, the Democrats also lost control of the House and the Senate to the Republicans.

To say that this was a huge blow to the Democrats, would be quite the understatement.

However, out of the ashes, a new phoenix of energy within the Democratic Party has emerged. A coalition of progressives, new dealers, centrists, and the former establishment figures have all joined hands in their ideological fraternity to once again secure their base. Following Trump’s election, “Women’s Marches” arose throughout the country, and the world. In many ways, President Trump was an effective catalyst for the Democrats’ base, at least in terms of Party unity. The Party now has established their own “Big Tent” if you will.

This coalition certainly will be a large motivating factor in boosting the morale of the Party, and in its outreach. Whether or not you agree with their policies, or are a political person at all, it is good to see that the base has risen up to their future political challenges, because our political system is built upon checks and balances.

What remains to be seen is whether this coalition will have actual election clout. It is one thing to garner enough support to organize large protests, but it is quite another to actually have each of those protestors go to the polls. The upcoming midterm elections are the only way to see whether or not the movement will have a large effect in actual policy making.