Democrat divorce: Recent progressive losses press moderates to reclaim party to beat Trump's GOP

Moderate Democrats trying to steer their party back into a position of electability in November – when not just their party's voters decide the outcome of races, appeared to get a little help in Tuesday's primaries when democratic socialist Francesca Hong lost her bid to become Wisconsin governor.

"They didn't admit they wanted to grab guns, but now they're admitting that," Paul Renner, a Florida Republican gubernatorial candidate, recently told Just The News. "They didn't admit that they were socialists. Now they're just saying, 'yeah, we're socialists.'" 

The former Florida House speaker continued: "It's never worked. It's a false promise, and everywhere brings poverty, it brings prison, and it brings death for dissidents. Just look at Cuba and Venezuela."

Hong, a state representative and dues-paying member of the Democratic Socialists of America, lost to Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley by a slim margin of roughly 3,200 votes. 

She drew scrutiny for past social media posts calling to abolish the police, cancel Thanksgiving as a colonialist holiday, and other far-left positions including abolishing ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement). She recently attempted to distance herself from those positions, bringing more exposure to her views rather than clarifying a more moderate position. 

Her loss follows recent progressive House primary wins over more moderate incumbents in deep-blue areas such as New York City and the Denver area. 

But a setback for the furthest-left candidate in a swing state like Wisconsin appears to show there may be limits to the movement’s reach beyond urban centers and can alienate moderate Democrats and swing voters. ​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

The great divide and how moderates are differentiating themselves

Moderate Democrats are increasingly distancing themselves from the party’s progressive and DSA wing through public messaging shifts, separate fundraising channels and sharp policy disputes. 

Groups like Third Way have launched multimillion-dollar efforts, including opposition research and ads to discredit democratic socialism, while centrist lawmakers promote pledges affirming support for capitalism, law enforcement and fiscal discipline over calls to abolish police or enact sweeping socialist reforms. 

Fundraising networks, including pro-Israel donors, have poured resources into establishment candidates against left-leaning rivals.

In June, after DSA-backed contenders won House primaries in New York and a mayoral primary in Washington, D.C., a group of about 13 to 15 House members and candidates launched the “Promise to America” initiative. 

Led by Reps. Tom Suozzi, of New York, and Adam Gray, of California, the pledge declares “we are capitalist, not socialist,” while supporting fiscal discipline, strong borders, public safety, and pride in the United States. 

Signatories included Reps. Josh Gottheimer, Laura Gillen, Susie Lee, and others running in competitive districts.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and fellow moderate Democrats have declined to endorse or actively support several democratic socialist candidates, emphasizing electability in competitive races. 

Schumer withheld his endorsement from Zohran Mamdani, the Democratic Socialists of America-aligned winner of New York City’s 2025 mayoral contest, even after the primary. However, his win is largely seen as the start of the rise of the far-left Democratic candidates and their primary victories. 

Polls are still on the side of capitalism 

While Democrats lean more positive towards socialism, overall public sentiment remains solidly against the label, according to the surveys.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​ A recent Gallup survey found 39% of U.S. adults view socialism positively, while majorities express unfavorable opinions and often cite economic inefficiency, government overreach and reduced individual opportunity as drawbacks. 

A June Economist/YouGov poll similarly recorded 39% unfavorable views of socialism against 32% favorable, with 44% saying capitalism is the better economic system compared with 19% for socialism. Additionally, a TIPP Insights survey found 44% viewing socialism unfavorably versus 33% favorably. 

American Democrats are not fitting in

While progressive factions within the Democratic Party show increasing support for socialist policies and socialist candidates winning primaries, many nations are moving in the opposite direction.

In Central and South America, voters have rejected leftist governments amid economic woes and insecurity. Argentina elected free-market advocate Javier Milei in 2023. Bolivia ended nearly two decades of Movement for Socialism rule in 2025. Chile, Colombia and Peru have also chosen conservative or market-oriented leaders in recent contests. ​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

Amanda Head is White House Correspondent for Just the News. You can follow her here.