Welcome to Fascist Dem Tracker

For the past 25 some-odd years, we’ve been living in increasing levels of ‘interesting times.’ With the re-election of Donald Trump, and the rise of fascist populism across the globe, I think it’s fair to assume we’ve reached the tipping point. There is a belief amongst some that through a great sudden thrust in the opposite direction, we can save America from becoming a fascist dictatorship via electoral politics. While I’m not fully convinced that our last chance to stop this train was in 2024, if these people are right, then we need to take an incredibly sober look at the 2026 midterm elections. While some people have taken the mantra ‘vote blue no matter who’ to heart, what use is this if there are Democrats who vote in line with the fascists on the other side?

As such, this project will track bills that espouse fascist ideals and reach the voting stage in Congress. While historians still have a difficult time fully defining the exact aspects of fascism, I’ll defer primarily to the essay Ur-Fascism by Umberto Eco as a foundation.  

The hope of this project is two-fold. One goal is to support primary opponents to challenge fascistic Democrats. Due to the financial and historical advantages of incumbents, the process for finding strong primary opponents needs to begin as soon as possible. Vetting in particular, to find a candidate that not only says the right things, but truly means them, is something that can’t be rushed at the last minute. By tracking the voting habits of Representatives and Senators, the need for a strong, anti-fascist primary opponent won’t just be based on vibes, but tangible evidence of urgency. However, if a suitable primary opponent fails to win or never arises, then it’s beyond important to continue the fight by supporting an independent or third party challenger & banish ‘vote blue no matter who’ to the rhetorical dustbin.

The second goal is simply historical record. If we are, in fact, past the tipping point, then the actions that push us deeper should not be ignored. I don’t know if anyone who votes positively for these bills is capable of shame, but they should at least be made aware that they are not blameless & their actions are not forgotten.

Finally, for the sake of transparency: hello, my name is Dusty Wilson. I am the co-host of a podcast called Gadfly that focuses on third parties, fringe candidates, and generally weird American electoral history. My background is in playwriting and, as such, I am not an expert on the history of fascism. Because of this, all of my research and writings are based off the works of actual experts. There will be plenty of citations and linked sources, so please check those out for, frankly, more intelligent and learned discourse. As I said before, a great starting point, and a relatively quick read, is Ur-Fascism by Umberto Eco. I’d also recommend reading or listening to Bob Altemeyer’s amazing book, The Authoritarians, which covers the psychology of authoritarian thought.

And a final warning: I love adverbs. I use them too much. Apologies in advance.