Rep. John Larson, D-Conn., clashed with Fox News chief congressional correspondent Chad Pergram on Capitol Hill while being pressed on whether Democratic Socialists of America-backed candidates who won New York primaries this week could threaten Democratic unity and complicate House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries’ path to the speakership.
The exchange came after several socialist candidates won Democratic nominations in New York City this week, fueling questions about whether the party’s left flank could complicate Democrats’ messaging and create new headaches for Jeffries if Democrats win back control of the House.
Larson defended New York voters’ right to choose their nominees and repeatedly expressed confidence that Jeffries, D-N.Y., could manage any new ideological tension inside the House Democratic Caucus, while also saying he opposes antisemitism and agreeing that some DSA positions are not very American.
“Isn’t it going to create hassles here on Capitol Hill? For Jeffries?” Larson was asked.
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“The voters of New York make up their own mind. We don’t control voters of New York. In America, in a free Democratic-Republic, people get to choose their elective representatives,” Larson shot back. “The people of New York have made a decision. The people in Wyoming make decisions too, the people in other states make decisions. That’s the way democracy works.”
Pressed on whether DSA-affiliated candidates coming to Capitol Hill would create division and dissension inside the House Democratic Caucus, Larson said Jeffries will “bring everybody together,” arguing he has been able to adequately handle numerous challenges thus far and will do so again with anymore that come his way.
“Hakeem Jeffries is the greatest leader that we can have, because he will bring everybody together, as he has with the 11 separate, different caucuses and more in the Democratic caucus already,” Larson responded.
Larson was then pressed on whether the DSA-backed candidates could present a new kind of challenge for Jeffries, particularly as he tries to become Speaker.
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“There was some argument out there that, you know, if this was Nancy Pelosi some years ago at the height of her powers, she’d be able to finesse this — he’s never been Speaker,” Pergram posited to Larson.
“Well, she wasn’t Speaker for a long time either, but she became Speaker and she did an outstanding job. Jeffries is going to be an outstanding Speaker because of his ability to bring people together,” Larson said back.
“Is there any backlash in the caucus about — and again, these are folks from New York, [Jeffries] is from New York, right? Schumer’s from New York — that this could undercut some of them. If others in the party think that these folks are going to drag them too far to the left?” Pergram continued to press.
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“Hakeem Jeffries will be the Speaker of the House, plain and simple,” Larson shot back. “And why? Because he’s demonstrated his leadership and he’s held the most diverse caucus ever assembled in the history of the world together. And that’s what he’s great at, and that’s what it’ll continue to do.”
Larson was also pressed on whether Democrats would distance themselves from candidates or groups accused of holding antisemitic views.
“Will you stand by people if they have antisemitic views?” Pergram asked.
“The people in New York chose the candidates they did,” Larson replied.
When pressed again, Larson said, “Am I against antisemitism? If that’s your question,” making clear he opposed antisemitism while continuing to argue that voters had the right to choose their nominees.
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The exchange continued as Larson was grilled on the DSA statement that he said called for eliminating the Senate and having the House choose the president and the Supreme Court.
“That’s the DSA,” Larson said. “The people of New York decide who their elected officials are. The people of Connecticut decide who their elected officials are.”
Asked whether that sounded radical, Larson said, “A lot of people sound radical to me. Radical on the left. Radical on the right. What’s your point?”
“Should you stand out and argue against saying, ‘Hey, we shouldn’t have people, you know, throw out the Senate. Eliminate the Senate? That’s not very American,” Pergram proposed back.
“I don’t think that’s very American either,” Larson said before he disengaged and took questions from another reporter.