Democratic congressional candidate Melat Kiros speaks after winning the Democratic nomination during a primary election night watch party at The Broadway, Tuesday, June 30, 2026, in Denver. (AP Photo/Rebecca Slezak) Perhaps the most important aspect of the democratic socialist-progressive left’s recent wins is not what it says about the Democratic Party. Rather, it may be what it allows Republicans to say about the Democratic Party.
Indeed, with Troy Jackson (D) securing the Democratic Senate nomination in Maine, a tossup in Michigan that could send Abdul El-Sayed (D) to the general election and self-described democratic socialists winning in New York and Colorado, Democrats are running bigger risks than the oft-discussed left-wing versus establishment feud would imply.
On the surface, the left wing’s recent wins may appear to be a story of an insurgent faction gaining on a fading establishment. Republicans will tell a different story: Voting for a Democrat equals a vote for socialism. To be sure, that is supported by many Democratic candidates themselves.
In New York City, Mayor Zohran Mamdani, a proud member of the Democratic Socialists of America, has become the face of the most vocal, ascendant wing of the Democratic Party. His handpicked candidates upset two incumbents, despite one — Darializa Avila Chevalier — having a history of extreme and racist statements.
Likewise, in Colorado, democratic socialist Melat Kiros — who called America fundamentally “exploitative” and refused to call the deadly firebombing of Jews in Boulder “antisemitic” — won her primary in a solid-blue district, virtually guaranteeing she’ll enter the House.
In Maine, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.)-aligned Jackson will depend on the support of Graham Platner’s progressive populist movement, necessitating a left-wing drift. Finally, in Michigan — which votes on Aug. 4. — El-Sayed, backed by Sanders and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) is battling establishment favorite Rep. Haley Stevens (D-Mich.).
Polling suggests a close race, though Stevens may be getting a late boost. Of the last 10 polls aggregated by RealClearPolitics, Stevens leads in five, by an average of 3 points, including the most recent from Detroit News, showing Haley leading 48 percent to 41 percent. In four, El-Sayed led by an average of nearly 7 points — one was a tie.
Neither Jackson nor El-Sayed describe themselves as socialists, but both advocate for left-wing, populist policies that overlap with democratic socialist platforms and share socialist-progressive backers.
Nonetheless, that distinction is politically beside the point. 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.
To that end, Republicans are not hiding their intentions. A National Republican Congressional Committee memo lays out a “plan to weaponize Mamdani as the new face of the Democratic Party.” Further, last week, House Speaker Rep. Mike Johnson (R-La.) cast the midterms as a choice between preserving our constitutional republic or sliding “down this dark road of death to communism.”
The trouble is that, while being a socialist may help in deep-blue districts, that is not where Democrats need to win if they want to take back the White House. For that, they will need independents and swing voters in purple states — demographics where the socialist label can be toxic.
Democrats already enter the critical summer period with a damaged brand. The party’s favorability, at 38 percent, is 17 points underwater — lower than President Trump’s approval at 41 percent, a net minus-16.
Layering “socialist” onto Democrats’ preexisting challenges will not help. Less than 4 in 10 (38 percent) independents had a positive view of socialism in Gallup’s September 2025 survey.
More recently, CNBC’s All America Economic Survey revealed that just 32 percent of Americans would be more likely to vote for a Democratic Socialist while 50 percent would be less likely. CNBC also reported that only 28 percent of Americans had a favorable view of socialism, with 48 percent viewing it negatively.
There is emerging evidence that Democrats are being harmed by perceptions that the party is drifting towards socialism. Despite Trump having a grim 37 percent approval rating — per Washington Post/Ipsos — Democrats lead the generic congressional ballot by just 3 points.
That narrow lead — within the margin of error — suggests that heightened focus on the socialist-progressive candidates of late severely hurts Democrats’ ability to capitalize on widespread anti-Trump sentiment.
Some Democrats are sounding the alarm.
Democratic strategist Van Jones recently lambasted his party’s far-left flank’s “crazy ideas,” accusing the Democratic Socialists of America organization of “pushing an agenda FAR outside” traditionally Democratic policies. Potential 2028 presidential nominee Rahm Emanuel was blunter, writing that the socialist “Bernie bros” could “spoil Democrats’ midterms hopes” and eventually cost Democrats the White House.
Ultimately, Democrats have no easy way out, particularly as the socialist-progressive movement has brought in a genuinely energetic new bloc of voters. Still — especially should El-Sayed win — Democrats will have a real problem being identified with an ideology that turns off a significant share of voters.
At the same time, Democrats must recognize that even if anti-Trump fatigue is enough to hand them control of at least the House, those are not the real stakes. If they want to win the presidency, Democrats cannot allow Republicans to fuse “Democrat” and “socialist” in voters’ minds.
Unfortunately, Democrats may do just that, to their detriment and to the detriment of all Americans who believe the health of our democracy is tied to two viable political parties competing for the broad mainstream of American public opinion.
Douglas E. Schoen and Carly Cooperman are pollsters and partners with the public opinion company Schoen Cooperman Research based in New York. They are co-authors of the book “America: Unite or Die.”
Add as preferred source on Google Tags Abdul El-Sayed Bernie Sanders Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) Boulder Colorado Darializa Avila Chevalier Democratic Party democratic socialist Democratic Socialists of America Donald Trump Haley Stevens Maine Melat Kiros Michigan Midterm elections Mike Johnson (R-La.) New York New York city Mayor Zohran Mamdani New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Rahm Emanuel Red states Rep. Haley Stevens Troy Jackson Troy Jackson Van Jones Zohran Mamdani Zohran MamdaniCopyright 2026 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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