Establishment Democrats warn socialist candidates could cost the party the midterms

As Democratic Socialist candidates and their candidacies are gaining steam, establishment Democrats connected to the Clinton and Obama administrations are sounding the alarm, warning that the rise of radicals is threatening the party’s chances of winning the upcoming midterms. 

“There is emerging evidence that Democrats are being harmed by perceptions that the party is drifting towards socialism,” wrote Douglas Schoen and Carly Cooperman, partners at the public opinion company Schoen Cooperman Research.

Schoen is a veteran of Democratic President Bill Clinton’s 1996 campaign as well as Hillary Clinton’s 2008 bid for the party’s presidential nomination.

Alarming to these Democrats is the fact that President Donald Trump’s low approval ratings have not translated into the expected polling advantage for Democratic candidates heading into the midterms in November, in which control of the House and Senate will be decided. 

Trump’s approval rating is underwater, hovering under 40% since May. However, in the most recent YouGov/Economist poll, in late July, Democrats outperformed Republicans by only 4 points. For comparison, Democrats consistently polled 7 to 13 points ahead of Republicans ahead of the 2018 blue wave election. 

Such a “narrow lead,” Schoen and Cooperman say, “suggests that heightened focus on the socialist-progressive candidates of late severely hurts Democrats’ ability to capitalize on widespread anti-Trump sentiment.”

New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani has become the face of the Democratic Socialist movement. Earlier this year, he clashed directly with the Democratic Party establishment in the city in order to remake its congressional delegation in his image. Mamdani backed three progressive socialist-aligned candidates who were successful in unseating incumbents or their establishment-backed opponents.

One of those winners, Darializa Avila Chevalier, who is a member of the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA), has drawn scrutiny over past social media posts expressing support for communism and Marxist ideology, including sympathy for Soviet figures. 

Democratic Socialists or their ideological allies have also surged in Colorado, Maine and Michigan. Schoen and Cooperman believe the party is “running bigger risks” by considering these candidates because it will fuel the Republican efforts to paint the Democratic Party more broadly as unpopular socialists. 

In Maine, scandal-ridden Graham Platner – who was closely tied to the Democratic Socialist infrastructure of Vermont Independent Sen. Bernie Sanders and Mayor Mamdani – had to drop out of the race. 

But, the state party chose Troy Jackson to replace him. Though not directly affiliated with the DSA, Jackson is backed by the organization and shares many of its policy goals. The DSA even endorsed Jackson for his earlier failed bid for governor.

In Michigan's Democratic Senate primary Tuesday, the frontrunner is Abdul El-Sayed, who is backed by democratic socialist Sanders and New York Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. Though not affiliated with the DSA, he also espouses policies similar to the organization's goals.

To Schoen and Cooperman, an affiliation with the DSA is not necessary to hurt the Democratic Party.

“Republicans do not need every Democrat to be Democratic Socialists of America members to brand all Democrats as socialists. They simply need enough high-profile Democrats on the party’s left-wing fringe to make the caricature stick,” they said in a Monday op-ed published in The Hill.   

Making matters worse, DSA co-chair Megan Romer took to cable news on Sunday to fully embrace that “caricature.” 

In an interview with Fox News’ Shannon Bream, which circulated widely on social media, Romer publicly embraced the most radical DSA proposals for the country, including abolishing the Senate, the presidency, the Supreme Court, national borders, immigration enforcement, prisons and defunding the U.S. military.

Romer made clear she views the DSA as ascendant and the establishment Democrats as outdated. 

"We run on the Democratic ballot line where it makes sense," she said. "We run independents sometimes where that is a viable possibility, but it's a ballot line. What matters is what the voters think, and the voters are overwhelmingly choosing our candidates." 

Beyond Schoen, other Democrats are raising the alarm about the growing influence of socialists in their party and warning that it could lead to disastrous consequences for the midterm elections as the party’s popularity continues to sag. 

This month, former Chicago Mayor, Obama Chief of Staff and Ambassador to Japan Rahm Emmanuel said that Democratic Socialist “Bernie Bros” could “spoil” the midterm elections for Democrats. 

“Ultimately, this is about policy. It was socialists who led the charge to defund the police, open the borders, abolish prisons, release violent criminals onto the streets and degrade the flag. We know those are electoral losers,” Emmanuel wrote last week.  

He argues that these positions often held by more radical candidates running in deep blue areas make it more difficult for Democratic candidates running in swing districts vital for winning the House.  

Republicans are jumping on the success of the DSA to associate Democrats with the organization’s policies. 

President Trump and the GOP have launched a campaign arguing the Democratic Party has been infiltrated with communist candidates as the November election nears, Just the News reported on Wednesday.