Last week, a pair of democratic socialists won competitive primary matchups in New York. Another in Philadelphia back in May, and on Tuesday in Denver, it happened again.
JUANA SUMMERS, HOST:
Democratic socialists have been on a hot streak lately. Last week, a pair of democratic socialists won competitive primary matchups in New York, another one won in Philadelphia back in May, and on Tuesday, in Denver, it happened again.
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MELAT KIROS: We won tonight, but this is about something so much bigger than this moment, than one moment. This is a movement.
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SUMMERS: That is 29-year-old Melat Kiros, who unseated a 30-year incumbent Democrat. NPR political reporter Elena Moore has been following all this and is with us now. Hi.
ELENA MOORE, BYLINE: Hey.
SUMMERS: So, Elena, break it down for us. What makes a democratic socialist different from a progressive Democrat?
MOORE: Yeah. Well, first off, the Democratic Party is a registered political party, and the Democratic Socialists of America is not. It’s a membership organization, and that’s why you see DSA-endorsed candidates running as Democrats. Second, a lot of Democrats are running on affordability issues and railing against billionaires, but DSA-backed candidates are taking it a step further, Juana. They’re more likely to adopt an explicitly anticapitalist message and, more than that, an antipolitical establishment message. They’re also not shying away from more polarizing issues – pushing for ICE to be abolished and for the U.S. to stop sending military aid to Israel.
SUMMERS: All right. Let’s talk about what happened last night in Denver. How was that ideological difference on display?
MOORE: Yeah. Well, Kiros challenged Diana DeGette, who, to be clear, is far from a moderate and has a lengthy progressive record. But like many candidates this cycle, Kiros framed her bid around the need for a new type of politics. She swore off donations from corporate PACs and pro-Israel lobbying groups and criticized DeGette for accepting those same kind of donations in the past.
SUMMERS: So, Elena, what is it about this moment that’s making this message really resonate with Democratic voters?
MOORE: Well, we know economic concerns are paramount for voters and that many feel dissatisfied with their current political options. And some of the politicians who have been speaking most effectively to those issues are democratic socialists, from Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders to New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani and Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. DSA leaders argue that all of these factors are what is making this movement so popular right now.
SUMMERS: To what extent, though, are there political drawbacks for Democrats in embracing DSA?
MOORE: Yeah. Well, some Democrats say it gives Republicans more reasons to paint the party as extreme and worry it could turn off voters in some key general election matchups that will determine control of Congress. Matt Bennett is a cofounder of the centrist think tank Third Way.
MATT BENNETT: Of course it’s possible to run as a left-leaning populace without adopting the maximalism of the extremes. But it is very hard for Democrats now to distinguish themselves.
MOORE: Because, he says, Republicans are going to tie those two things together. And sure enough, Juana, we have seen and are seeing that happen.
SUMMERS: Right. And if the Republican Party is already doing that, what is the political calculus for Democrats moving forward?
MOORE: Yeah. It’s tricky because DSA candidates have obviously tapped into a powerful feeling among voters, but these high-profile wins are concentrated in super-blue cities, and that democratic socialist message may just not resonate everywhere. In some races, we have seen Democrats try to toe the line. I’m thinking about places like Michigan, Maine, Texas, where candidates are campaigning on affordability issues without the DSA label. So it might come down to which approach resonates more. You know, Republicans have a successful history of painting Democrats as too extreme, but some voters might be so frustrated with the current state of politics that they’re willing to look past that.
SUMMERS: NPR political reporter Elena Moore, thank you.
MOORE: Thanks.
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