{"id":2619831,"date":"2026-06-27T07:35:02","date_gmt":"2026-06-27T11:35:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/how-socialists-took-over-the-democratic-party\/"},"modified":"2026-06-27T07:39:03","modified_gmt":"2026-06-27T11:39:03","slug":"how-socialists-took-over-the-democratic-party","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/how-socialists-took-over-the-democratic-party\/","title":{"rendered":"How socialists took over the Democratic Party"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">14<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fhow-socialists-took-over-the-democratic-party%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2619831&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>Teh article discusses a notable shift in U.S. political dynamics driven by recent primary results, highlighting a rise in socialist candidates within the Democratic Party. Socialist victories in New York City, supported by figures like Zohran Mamdani, reflect a broader national trend that could bolster Bernie Sanders\u2019s political influence and potentially prolong his career.While Democrats in deep-blue districts may secure safe seats, the concern among Republicans and establishment Democrats is that socialist candidates might struggle in swing states, though some anticipate they will still win in safe districts nonetheless of national trends. The rise of socialists signals a departure from the traditional liberal consensus of the Obama era, with the new progressive left aiming to challenge and overhaul the existing economic order, in contrast to the previous resistance movement that focused on defending norms and institutions. This evolution is linked to shifting attitudes within the Democratic base, moving away from the earlier push for institutional stability toward a more radical, anti-system stance inspired by recent Republican wins and the figures associated with the Trump era. Ancient parallels are drawn with the Tea Party movement on the right,noting that both insurgent factions can impact party leadership and electoral outcomes,frequently enough at the expense of traditional establishment figures. The article also examines how Democratic responses to past Republican landslides-such as the 1980s Reagan victories-led to a centrist pivot, exemplified by bill Clinton\u2019s 1992 nomination. Currently, Democrats face internal tension, with many socialists arguing that the party has abandoned the working class, a claim that oversimplifies recent issues like immigration, inflation, and cultural conflicts influencing election results. Polls indicate that socialism is gaining acceptance within the party, with prominent figures like Kamala Harris leading early in the 2028 presidential race, and younger socialist-leaning candidates like Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez gaining ground. Democrats are increasingly embracing a more leftist stance, with the belief among socialists that they can move further left and still succeed electorally, challenging the more moderate or traditional Democratic establishment.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<article class=\"fn-body\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Democrats may be looking at a different kind of red wave this year based on <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/congressional\/4622291\/a-big-night-for-mamdani-as-socialists-keep-winning-democratic-primaries\/\">Tuesday night\u2019s primary results<\/a>, a throwback to when the color red <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ibtimes.com\/why-color-red-associated-communism-295185\">signified<\/a> not the <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/republican-party\/\">Republican Party<\/a>, but socialism.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A trio of socialist primary victories in <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/new-york-city\/\">New York City<\/a>, when left-wing candidates backed by Mayor <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/zohran-mamdani\/\">Zohran Mamdani <\/a>defeated establishment Democrats, is part of a <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/premium\/4603940\/bernie-sanders-reshape-democratic-party-his-image\/\">broader national trend<\/a> that could see socialist Sen. <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/bernie-sanders\/\">Bernie Sanders<\/a> (I-VT) end his political career on a high note<\/p>\n<section class=\"explore-more-section\" id=\"wex-recommended-widget\">\n<div class=\"magazine-container single\">\n<h1 class=\"magazine-title mt-2\">Recommended Stories<\/h1>\n<p>             <i class=\"fa-solid fa-play icon\"><\/i>         <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-grid\">\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/congressional\/4627369\/schumer-wont-survive-a-primary-against-a-dsa-candidate-joe-concha\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Schumer won\u2019t \u2018survive\u2019 a primary against a DSA candidate: Joe Concha<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/congressional\/4624001\/alexandria-ocasio-cortez-2028-dsa-new-york\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez\u2019s 2028 options grow after socialist wins in New York<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/congressional\/4625765\/tom-kean-fundraiser-congress-return\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Tom Kean to hold fundraiser same day he returns to Congress after three-month hiatus<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Republicans hope, and establishment Democrats fear, that socialist candidates will not be able to win in swing states. So far, Democrats haven\u2019t nominated many in such places. <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/graham-platner\/\">Graham Platner<\/a> could blow a winnable race against Sen. <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/susan-collins\/\">Susan Collins<\/a> (R-ME), but Mamdani\u2019s progeny will definitely win in November.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-1\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-1\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-15\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-1\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">As frustrated centrists are <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/ThirdWayMattB\/status\/2069790995621753122\">quick to point out<\/a>, primary victories in deep-blue urban districts won\u2019t flip the seats necessary for Democrats to win congressional majorities. But the blueness of these districts does mean that the socialists will get elected and likely survive when the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/massachusetts-releases-thousands-of-police-disciplinary-records\/\" title=\"Massachusetts releases many police disciplinary records.\">pendulum swings back<\/a> to the Republicans.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If the voters decide to punish Democrats for going too far left, it will be centrists rather than socialists who disproportionately pay the consequences. The socialists will hold safe seats while the centrists represent swing states and districts.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It was the most conservative remaining Democrats who suffered the biggest losses in the major Republican wave years of 1994 and 2010.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-2\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-2\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-16\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-2\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The socialists will still be calling the shots, such as deciding whether Senate Minority Leader <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/chuck-schumer\/\">Chuck Schumer<\/a> (D-NY) and House Minority Leader <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/hakeem-jeffries\/\">Hakeem Jeffries<\/a> (D-NY) keep their posts. <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Tea Party on the Right more than a decade ago worked much the same way. Conservative activists cost Republicans some competitive Senate seats \u2014\u00a0the GOP didn\u2019t win control of the upper chamber until nearly halfway through <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/barack-obama\/\">Barack Obama<\/a>\u2019s second term \u2014\u00a0but helped win the House and stayed embedded in their <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/do-nothing-gop-house-got-a-few-things-done-washington-examiner\/\" title=\"\u2018Do-nothing\u2019 GOP ... got a few things done - Washington Examiner\">deep-red districts<\/a>. Several Republican House speakers saw their careers end early.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But the Republican pollster Patrick Ruffini notes that the socialist uprising isn\u2019t just at the expense of centrists or the establishment. It brings down the curtain on an era of liberal politics that ran from the Obama administration to the Resistance. \u201cThe Resistance was fundamentally united by a belief that the system worked \u2014 and in the Obama era it in fact did for liberals,\u201d Ruffini <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.patrickruffini.com\/p\/fall-of-the-resistance\">writes<\/a>.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-3\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-3\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-17\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-3\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">With the rise of President <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/donald-trump\/\">Donald Trump<\/a> a decade ago, Resistance liberals \u201ctried to create common cause with the old Republican elite overthrown by Trump,\u201d elevating and celebrating \u201cTrump\u2019s foes in law enforcement, the national security establishment, and the military \u2014 figures like [Robert] Mueller, James Comey, George Conway, Sally Yates, the Vindman brothers, or Mark Milley.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">That\u2019s why former Vice President <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/kamala-harris\/\">Kamala Harris<\/a> campaigned with stalwart former Republican Rep. Liz Cheney down the stretch in 2024 and touted the endorsement of her father, former Vice President Dick Cheney. It\u2019s also why Obama eulogized John McCain in 2018 and gave George W. Bush a place of honor at the opening of his presidential center earlier this month. Former President <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/joe-biden\/\">Joe Biden<\/a> was elected in 2020 as a defender of the old, pre-Trump order.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cIn 2026, it\u2019s a different story,\u201d Ruffini writes. \u201cThe energy has shifted to the progressive left, which is building an anti-system opposition to Trump antithetical to the politics of the old resistance.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-4\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-4\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-25\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-4\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The GOP operative observes that Rep. Dan Goldman (D-NY) was a former prosecutor tapped by Democrats to be lead counsel in the first Trump impeachment effort before he ran for Congress. Goldman just lost his primary to a Mamdani-backed challenger by more than 30 points. Mallory McMorrow, elected to the Michigan state Senate in the 2018 Resistance wave, is currently running third behind a Sanders-style progressive in the race for retiring Sen. Gary Peters\u2019s (D-MI) seat. Resistance hero George Conway finished a distant fifth in his Democratic congressional primary.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThis shift represents a fundamental reorientation of the Democratic base\u2019s psychological appetite,\u201d Ruffini adds. \u201cWhere the 2018-era Resistance found comfort in institutional stability and the defense of norms, the 2026 version looks with admiration to Trump\u2019s two victories and aims to create a left-wing version of them. The goal is to overthrow an economic order they were blocked from changing both by Clinton-era moderation or Obama-era liberalism.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Democrats are responding to Trump\u2019s relatively narrow victories much differently than they ultimately reacted to three landslide victories by Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush in the 1980s.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-5\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-5\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-26\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-5\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">While it took losing at least 40 states in three straight presidential elections, including their 49-state drubbing at the hands of Reagan in 1984, Democrats eventually pivoted to the center and nominated Bill Clinton in 1992. (Even he didn\u2019t entirely get the message at first, raising taxes, banning guns, and <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >pushing controversial social issues<\/a> before Democrats lost their big congressional majorities in 1994 and Clinton turned his attention to welfare reform and balanced budgets.)<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But this time, the establishment\u2019s electability arguments are falling on deaf ears because Harris and Hillary Clinton lost to Trump. Obama was succeeded by Trump. Biden\u2019s win over Trump proved temporary and was, in their view, squandered. As progressive attitudes toward Israel radicalized, the Gaza war unfolded under Biden and Harris.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Before Democrats turned to Bill Clinton, liberals George McGovern, Walter Mondale, and Michael Dukakis had each lost 40-plus states in presidential elections dating back to 1972. Jimmy Carter won in 1976 as a different kind of Democrat, but had been rebranded as a standard-issue, ineffectual liberal by 1980, when he carried just six states and the District of Columbia.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Socialists and progressives have a theory that Democrats lose because they have abandoned the working class. Sanders supporters felt they were robbed of opportunities to beat Trump in 2016 and 2020, and then watched the coronation first of Biden and then Harris in 2024, when Democrats couldn\u2019t even win the popular vote.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The socialists\u2019 analysis misses how much the Biden border crisis, inflation, and wokeness hurt the Democrats in 2024. But they don\u2019t care about immigration, don\u2019t understand that high spending causes inflation, and have shown some willingness to downplay cultural issues when necessary to win. It is also by no means clear that the socialists\u2019 actual electoral base is really the working class.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">While Democrats outside of big cities and college towns remain reluctant to nominate socialists,<a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/PatrickRuffini\/status\/2069889955136987218\"> polling<\/a> shows socialism is increasingly mainstream within the party.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/daily-memo\/4623595\/democratic-debate-is-over-the-left-won\/\"><strong>THE DEMOCRATIC DEBATE IS OVER. THE LEFT WON <\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Harris still leads in the early polls for the 2028 Democratic nomination. While that is likely based on name recognition, her lead has only grown during the socialist wave. She has proven adept at following trends in her party. But, according to the <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.realclearpolling.com\/polls\/president\/democratic-primary\/2028\/national\"><em>RealClearPolitics <\/em>average<\/a>, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) \u2014 who, unlike Mamdani, is American-born and eligible to run, and unlike Sanders is under 40 \u2014\u00a0is already running fourth, not far behind Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-CA) and former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Obama proved Democrats could run to the left of the Clintons and win. Socialists believe Democrats can run to the left of Obama and win.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Democrats face a socialist surge in primaries, signaling a new red wave<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2659,"featured_media":2619832,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/AP26175175032333_b3dbe6.jpg?w=696","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[32923,38374,12428],"class_list":["post-2619831","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-democratic-party","tag-political-history","tag-socialism"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/AP26175175032333_b3dbe6.jpg?w=696","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2619831","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2659"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2619831"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2619831\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2619835,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2619831\/revisions\/2619835"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2619832"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2619831"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2619831"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2619831"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}