{"id":2635574,"date":"2026-07-26T06:48:02","date_gmt":"2026-07-26T10:48:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/aoc-pours-cold-water-on-dsas-call-to-abolish-the-senate\/"},"modified":"2026-07-26T06:49:47","modified_gmt":"2026-07-26T10:49:47","slug":"aoc-pours-cold-water-on-dsas-call-to-abolish-the-senate","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/aoc-pours-cold-water-on-dsas-call-to-abolish-the-senate\/","title":{"rendered":"AOC pours cold water on DSA&#8217;s call to abolish the Senate"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">22<\/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%2Faoc-pours-cold-water-on-dsas-call-to-abolish-the-senate%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=2635574&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>The Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) proposed abolishing the U.S. Senate, but this idea has faced opposition from some prominent progressive lawmakers, including Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who emphasized working within existing constitutional frameworks. Ocasio-Cortez also mentioned limited power to enact such changes directly and suggested constitutional conventions as a possible route. While the DSA has grown to 120,000 members and is influencing upcoming elections by backing candidates, its platform includes both mainstream progressive policies like Medicare for All and more radical proposals such as allowing noncitizens to vote and abolishing the Senate. Some Democrats, particularly small-state representatives like Vermont\u2019s Rebecca Balint, oppose abolishing the Senate due to concerns over losing rural voices. Critics argue that proposals like abolishing the Senate are more ideological slogans than practical governance strategies, and there is skepticism about whether far-left candidates can translate their platforms into legislative success once in office. the debate highlights a divide between activist ambitions and the realities of political process and governance.  <\/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\">The Democratic Socialists of America\u2019s proposal to abolish the <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/section\/senate\/\" type=\"link\" id=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/section\/senate\/\">Senate<\/a> isn\u2019t being embraced by one of its most high-profile elected officials and some of the most progressive members of <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/congress\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"31\">Congress<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"> \u201cI\u2019m a House member, we all hate the Senate,\u201d Rep. <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/alexandria-ocasio-cortez\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"282\">Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez<\/a> (D-NY), the highest-ranking DSA member in Congress, joked with the <em>Washington Examiner<\/em>. \u201cNo, I mean listen, we\u2019re working with the institutions that we have, this is a constitutional question.<\/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\/4649415\/first-round-of-august-social-security-payments-goes-out-in-17-days\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>First round of August Social Security payments goes out in 17 days<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/4662432\/alexandria-ocasio-cortez-democratic-socialists-america-abolish-senate\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>AOC and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/first-round-of-august-social-security-payments-goes-out-in-17-days\/\" title=\"First round of ... goes out in 17 days\">progressives pour cold water<\/a> on DSA\u2019s call to abolish the Senate<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/4649471\/august-social-security-direct-payment-worth-994-goes-out-in-6-days\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>August Social Security direct payment worth $994 goes out in 6 days<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI don\u2019t have the power or ability to do that, it is what it is, we\u2019re working with what we\u2019ve got,\u201d she added. \u201cThese are kind of highfalutin questions that can only be resolved with a constitutional convention of everyday people.\u201d<\/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\">Ocasio-Cortez has been floated as a potential presidential candidate or primary challenger to Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) in 2028.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">She is not alone in splitting with the most progressive end of the Democratic Party \u2014 another 2028 hopeful poured cold water on the area of the platform calling to abolish the Senate.\u00a0\u201cI\u2019m not for abolishing the Senate, I\u2019m for abolishing the filibuster,\u201d Rep. <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/ro-khanna\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"5039\">Ro Khanna<\/a> (D-CA) told the <em>Washington Examiner<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">With the DSA growing in numbers, hitting 120,000 members nationwide earlier this month, the group is already playing an outsize role in the <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/2026-election\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"11675\">2026 midterm elections<\/a>. DSA-backed candidates have ousted several incumbent House Democrats in primaries this cycle and are looking to pad those numbers by scoring wins in the Michigan and Missouri primaries on Aug. 4. The DSA also backed Troy Jackson to replace Graham Platner as the Democratic Senate nominee for Maine.<\/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\">Yet, while the DSA is surging, the group is also becoming more ambitious. Earlier this month, it released a national platform that includes priorities some factions of the Democratic Party have pushed for years, such as \u201cMedicare for All,\u201d defunding the police, and making unions more powerful. However, it also includes more radical provisions such as allowing noncitizens to vote, abolishing border enforcement, adopting a new constitution, and scrapping the Senate.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cReplace the two-party system with a multi-party democracy,\u201d the <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/program.dsausa.org\/\">DSA platform reads<\/a>. \u201cExpand the House of Representatives, implement proportional representation and ranked choice voting in all elections, and abolish the Senate.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Not all of those proposals are garnering support from the progressive lawmakers most likely to be sympathetic to the DSA, as evidenced by the response to abolishing the Senate.<\/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\">\u201cVermonters will never be in support of that,\u201d Rep. Rebecca Balint (D-VT) told the <em>Washington Examiner<\/em>. \u201cIf we abolish the Senate, then we lose some of our voice for rural America, because right now I am the only member from Vermont, so if we abolish the Senate, what is their plan? Are you going to have more proportional representation? So we go from having three voices in Congress to one,\u00a0 I would never support that as a small state.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Balint is a staunch progressive and the first woman and lesbian to be elected to Congress from Vermont\u2019s at-large congressional district. Both of her immediate predecessors in the House, independent Bernie Sanders and Democrat Peter Welch, now sit in the upper chamber.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Democrats say the opposition from would-be allies shows that the DSA\u2019s platform is not a realistic framework for governing.<\/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\">\u201cThere will always be a gap between activist wish lists and the realities of governing,\u201d one Democratic campaign operative told the <em>Washington Examiner<\/em>. \u201cSome of the DSA\u2019s message on affordability is understandably resonating because voters are frustrated with the Republican trifecta and the status quo of politics more broadly.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cBut proposals like abolishing the Senate aren\u2019t serious governing agendas \u2014 they\u2019re ridiculous activist slogans,\u201d the operative said. \u201cEven lawmakers like AOC, who overlap on some progressive goals, know the difference between bold messaging and the day-to-day of actually delivering for constituents.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/4657182\/dsa-endorsement-tracker-socialists-running-for-office-across-america\/\" type=\"link\" id=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/4657182\/dsa-endorsement-tracker-socialists-running-for-office-across-america\/\">DSA ENDORSEMENT TRACKER: HERE ARE THE SOCIALISTS RUNNING FOR OFFICE ACROSS AMERICA<\/a><\/strong><\/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\">The operative added that if DSA candidates keep winning, they will have to face the reality of working through the legislative process and accepting checks and balances.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThe real test will come once they\u2019re in office, and I have a hard time believing these far-left warriors would be willing to derail Democratic priorities once they\u2019re the ones expected to deliver results,\u201d the operative continued. \u201cTime will tell.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>DSA&#8217;s Senate abolition plan faces opposition from top Democrats<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3691,"featured_media":2635575,"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\/07\/image-collage-gg9a83i7a-1784911543677-e1784924357199.jpg?1784909952&amp;w=696","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[55928,46754,74849,5894,3740],"class_list":["post-2635574","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-abolition","tag-alexandria-ocasio-cortez","tag-dsa","tag-politics","tag-senate"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/image-collage-gg9a83i7a-1784911543677-e1784924357199.jpg?1784909952&amp;w=696","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2635574","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\/3691"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2635574"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2635574\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2635578,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2635574\/revisions\/2635578"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2635575"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2635574"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2635574"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2635574"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}