Democratic socialism may be the flavor of the month, but centrist Democrats in the toughest House races warn that their more-moderate brand of candidate is what the party needs to win over Republican voters and gain control of the chamber.
Ahead of November elections that will decide who controls the House, the New Democrat Coalition stressed Wednesday that their party needs to choose its issues wisely and not to overplay its hand in swing districts.
“We are the ones that overperform because of our ability to get moderate Republicans to support us,” said Rep. Greg Stanton of Arizona, a member of the coalition, a group of Democrats in competitive districts. “That’s how we win in the toughest seats.”
According to Real Clear Politics, Democrats have a 5.3 percentage point advantage among voters nationwide in an average of generic congressional polls.
But the Cook Political Report lists only 18 House seats out of 435 as tossups, and neither party has enough seats rated as leaning, likely, or solidly in their grasp to have a 218-seat majority in the bag without winning those swing districts.
Candidates backed by the NewDem Action Fund PAC argued on a Wednesday press call that the party cannot run on socialist platforms in those competitive districts and expect to win.
“In Ohio, in Nebraska, and parts of Arizona, far-left candidates are just not going to win,” said Rep. Emilia Sykes, who is seeking reelection in a purple district centered on Akron, Ohio.
Republicans are seeking to associate the Democratic Party with the increasingly powerful democratic socialist movement.
Since the election of socialist New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, far-left candidates have come out on top in House primaries in New York City, Colorado and California.
The candidates won running on slogans such as “abolish ICE,” “Medicare for All” and stopping deportation of unauthorized immigrants.
Ms. Sykes is skeptical that these candidates’ platforms would be viable in tight races.
“If you are in New York City or in certain areas of California, a bright blue district could be a brighter blue district because … that reflects those communities. That is not something that would likely be successful in Ohio-13, or Ohio-1, or in Arizona-6, or Nebraska-2,” Ms. Sykes said.
In contrast, Ms. Sykes says New Democrats offer a “laser focus on affordability” and are “not yelling and bombastic all the time.”
Ms. Sykes praised her colleague Mr. Stanton for having “defeated a far-left candidate decisively with no sweat off his back,” adding that Denise Powell, a Democrat seeking to flip Nebraska’s 2nd Congressional District, did the same.
She argued Democratic primary voters “want a Democratic majority” and “are helping us get there” by filtering out the most extreme candidates.
Mr. Stanton said of democratic socialists that he values a “big tent party” and called it a strength, but argued front line candidates “fit their district to a tee.”
On the issue of the Iran war, New Democrats say they intend to oppose the rationale of the war itself and also to capitalize on voters’ frustration with its economic repercussions.
Mr. Stanton told The Washington Times that Democrats “lead with” arguing the conflict is a “war of choice” with negative strategic consequences, but that they also focus on its effect on prices.
JoAnna Mendoza, a Democrat attempting to flip Arizona’s 6th Congressional District, told The Times the war is “top of mind in the district” and she was criticizing what she views as a lack of “military strategy,” as well as the economic effects.
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