Guy Benson says socialist challenges test Democratic Party
Guy Benson, writing for the *Washington examiner*, argues that the Democratic Party is being pressured by the rising success of socialist-aligned candidates and organizations-such as Democratic Socialists of America and the Working Families Party-especially within Democratic primaries. He points to two main drivers: first, a growing hostility among younger voters and parts of the Democratic base toward capitalism, which he claims progressives have promoted by blaming capitalism for a wide range of frustrations. Second, he says segments of the movement increasingly scapegoat israel/Jewish state-something he argues has presence across the political spectrum but has expanded on the left.
Benson also suggests that setbacks for Republicans in the 2026 midterms could temporarily hide Democrats’ internal ideological conflicts, but warns that in a more neutral electoral habitat these divisions could become a major problem for the party.
Washington Examiner columnist Guy Benson argued the growing success of socialist-aligned candidates and organizations is forcing a reckoning within the Democratic Party.
As Democratic primary candidates, including Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI), backed by groups such as the Democratic Socialists of America and Working Families Party continue to gain traction, Benson said two major trends are driving the movement’s success.
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“Two things are happening here,” Benson said on Fox News’s Fox and Friends Tuesday.
“No. 1, a lot of younger voters in particular on the Democratic side, but their base more broadly, is turning hard against capitalism,” he said.
Benson defended capitalism as “the most miraculous economic system ever devised by man that has pulled more people out of poverty than any other by far, that has turned this country into the wealthiest and most prosperous on planet Earth.”
While he acknowledged some economic frustrations are legitimate, Benson argued progressive activists have successfully blamed capitalism for a range of voter concerns.
“There are frustrations, some of them genuine, some of them I think bogus, that people are feeling, and they’ve been fed a steady diet of anti-capitalism as a scapegoat, and the party is now kind of embracing that because they see where the winds are blowing,” Benson said.
The second factor, according to Benson, is “the scapegoating of the Jewish state, which has always had a toehold on both ends of the spectrum,” he said. “It now has more than a foothold on the left side.”
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Looking ahead to the 2026 midterm elections, Benson said an unfavorable political environment for Republicans could mask some of the Democratic Party‘s internal ideological tensions. However, he warned those divisions could become more consequential in future elections.
“If 2026 is just a backlash election, which is what you often see in midterms, against the party in power, this type of thing might get glossed over,” Benson said. “In a different sort of electoral setting, however, more neutral, the American people are not where the Democrats are going, and this could become a real problem for them.”
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