Democratic National Committee (DNC) Chairman Ken Martin said on Wednesday that he was accepting of socialists being part of the Democratic Party.
Democratic socialists Zohran Mamdani and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez have risen to prominence within the Democratic Party. Fox News host Dana Perino asked Martin on “America’s Newsroom” about “how difficult” it is for the party to win in swing states and red states, given “progressive left” politicians such as Democratic Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren, Mamdani and Ocasio-Cortez.
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“I don’t think they make it difficult at all. At the end of the day, the difference between the Democratic Party and the Republican Party is that we’re a big tent,” Martin said. “We have lots of people in that tent from all of the different ideological wings, from conservative Democrats to centrists, to progressives, to these new leftists. And the reality is is I’ve always said that you win through addition, not subtraction. You don’t win by pushing people out of your coalition, you win by bringing people into your coalition.”
“And that includes people from all different ideological wings. Unlike the Republicans who expect everyone to march lock step over one agenda, we actually welcome dissent and debate in our party,” he continued. “We actually welcome differences of opinion and we’ll continue to do that. Because that’s what makes us strong as a Democratic Party. We’re not going to shirk away from differences.”
When asked to identify the Democratic leader they believe “best reflects the core values” of their party, 10% of Democrats picked Ocasio-Cortez, while 8% chose independent Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, according to a CNN/SSRS poll published March 16. Ocasio-Cortez ranked first, while Sanders ranked third, with former Vice President Kamala Harris in between at 9%.
Mamdani is campaigning to become mayor of New York City and has campaigned on policies like free buses, city-run grocery stores and rent freezes. He has also advocated for “seizing the means of production.”
Ocasio-Cortez is one of the authors of the “Green New Deal,” a multi-trillion dollar proposal to push the U.S. toward net-zero emissions and guarantee jobs in the process. She has taken part in Sanders‘ “Fighting Oligarchy” tour, which launched in February and has consisted of speeches to combat “the Oligarchs and corporate interests who have so much power” in the U.S, according to the event’s website.
Democratic Minneapolis mayoral candidate Omar Fateh laid out his vision in July to freeze rent, rapidly raise the minimum wage and refuse to cooperate with federal immigration enforcement, a platform that strongly resembles Mamdani’s.
Martin also had a dispute with David Hogg, a gun control activist who was elected to serve as one of the DNC’s vice chairs. During his short tenure under Martin, Hogg announced plans to primary some incumbent Democratic lawmakers, a strategy Martin opposed.
The DNC voted in June to remove Hogg from his vice chair position, Politico first reported.
Among Democratic C-SPAN callers rebuking their own party on “Washington Journal” Monday, one criticized the prominence of “so-called progressives” like Ocasio-Cortez, Mamdani and Sanders. However, another said he wanted the Democratic Party to follow the lead of Ocasio-Cortez and Sanders.
July polling by The Wall Street Journal, CNN and Gallup all found that the Democratic Party had record-low favorability.
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