WASHINGTON — Capitalist or (democratic) socialist? That’s the question starting to drive a wedge between the moderate and progressive wings of the Democratic Party.
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Democratic Party leaders say there’s nothing to see here, even after the three progressives New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani endorsed won their primaries earlier this week, which has the party’s leftward flank all but dancing in the streets.
“What we are seeing is a shift into a new era of American governance that for the first time is starting to not be governed by that baby boomer generation,” Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) told congressional reporters Thursday. “I do think that we’re starting to see a new time.”
On the other side of the political coin, Republican pundits and members of Congress alike are now giddy going into the midterms as they prepare to paint the entire Democratic Party as far-left whackos.
“It’s indicative of where the Democrats are going,” Rep. Byron Donalds (R-FL) told Raw Story. “Their party’s more radical.”
The pledge dividing Democrats
Democratic leaders are trying to downplay their party’s differences, but it’s undeniable that there’s a debate raging amongst Democrats over whether (democratic) socialism is the proper response to two terms of President Donald Trump and the broader MAGA movement.
Even before this week’s New York City primary returns, moderate Democratic Reps. Tom Suozzi (D-NY) and Adam Gray (D-CA) signed onto a new Promise to America pledge that declares: “we are capitalist, not socialist.”
The pledge itself is dividing Democrats.
“I don’t even know what that is. I think it’s a made-up thing,” Rep. Mark Pocan (D-WI) told Raw Story. “I honestly have heard zero about this. I have heard zero about it. I do not take it as a serious anything.”
Pocan, a chair emeritus of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, dismisses this latest effort by moderate Democrats.
“If someone is actually coming up with an idea like that, they have so much extra time that they need to either learn how to knit or something else constructive,” Pocan said.
The idea’s real, alright. At last check, there are now 15 signatories to that Promise to America pledge.
Ten signatories are current Democratic members of the House, while the others are candidates running in battleground districts in Arizona, Colorado, Texas and two in North Carolina.
Democratic Party leaders may not want to admit the growing divide in their ranks, but they’re also doing all they can to avoid the “socialist” labels being lobbed from the right.
“I’m a capitalist,” Rep. Pete Aguilar (D-CA), who chairs the House Democratic Caucus, told Raw Story at the Capitol.
“So you’re not worried about these wins in New York?” Raw Story pressed.
“I’m not,” Aguilar said before he explained Democrats’ strategy to regain control of the House by capturing 218 seats nationwide this fall. “Look, our path to 218 didn’t have anything to do with, like, those races, so our ability to get the majority is, you know, the same today as it was before New York and so we just got to go win. My assumption is they’re going to be members who support the Democratic agenda here.”
“Socialists sliding right into communists”
Because the three progressives won primaries in solidly blue districts, this week’s New York returns aren’t changing Democratic leaders’ math ahead of November, but it’s a different story on the other side of the aisle.
“A wake-up call. We’re at the precipice of a movement that has never worked in the history of this country or the world,” Rep. Ralph Norman (R-SC) told Raw Story. “People need to realize votes have consequences. They’re going to destroy New York as California’s been destroyed.”
While Democratic leaders deny a far-left shift for the party, Republicans argue that having more progressives in Congress will surely impact the party’s agenda should they win this fall.
“Socialists sliding right into communists, depending on your political worldview,” Donalds said. “People are saying how this town doesn’t work. Well, with people like that coming here, it’s going to work even less.”
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Donalds is running for Florida governor, but he’s still been following the redistricting battles nationwide and says the GOP is well situated going into this fall’s midterms.
“I’m feeling good about November,” Donalds said.
“Why?” Raw Story asked.
“Well, I mean, are Democrats motivated? Yeah, they are,” Donalds said. “But I also think that, you know, for Republican voters, you know, we largely accomplished a good chunk of what the president set out to do when he ran two years ago.”
Like most card-carrying Republicans, Donalds is banking on his party being buoyed at the polls by Trump’s migration crackdown and economic growth. But he’s smiling.
“I think voters want to have common sense in their government,” Donalds said. “We’ll be fine.”
More moderate Republicans who are perennial targets of Democrats aren’t so bullish, though.
“Your thoughts on the Democratic Socialists who won up in New York?” Raw Story asked. “Does that help you and other more moderate Republicans out?”
“That’s between the voters and the candidates. I mean, they made their choice,” Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA) told Raw Story. “Certainly not an ideology I subscribe to, that’s for sure, but I respect the democratic process and that’s who was selected.”
“We’re starting to see a new time”
With seven incumbents having now been ousted by primary voters on both sides of the aisle, this year’s midterms are “already above the postwar historical average” for incumbent losses, according to the University of Virginia’s Center for Politics.
Sensing voter anger with the Washington establishment, a record-breaking 76 incumbents are leaving Congress at the end of the year.
In more than 20 states and a handful of U.S. territories, primary voters have yet to weigh in this cycle, but change is surely in the air coast to coast.
“I do think that we’re starting to see a new time,” Ocasio-Cortez told reporters on the Capitol steps. “It’s normal to see these developments happen. I think this is part of that process. And again, I think this is about ideas.”
To Ocasio-Cortez and her progressive “Squad,” this electoral upheaval is long overdue.
“This is about fighting for not just any change, but actual substantive change that people are going to feel in their lives,” Ocasio-Cortez said. “And so I think what people want to see is, you know, while there may be personalities, I think what they want to see is policy.”
The laundry list of demands from progressive voters is long, which is why AOC says the Democratic Party can’t take the energy and enthusiasm from their party’s far-left base for granted.
“Are we fighting to guarantee health care for every American? Are we trying to raise wages? Are we tackling corporations that are, you know, price gouging us, building out AI data centers and poisoning people’s water wells? Are they going to see us actually take these people on?” Ocasio-Cortez asked. “Or are they going to see us take their money and look the other way?”
To Ocasio-Cortez and her fellow progressives, no matter the label, their mandate is clear.
“What we are seeing is people want us to take a vigorous approach in taking on big money,” Ocasio-Cortez said.
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