Maryland Democrats rejected the idea that New York’s socialist surge in primary victories signals a broader Democratic divide, insisting the races are a reflection of individual districts rather than a national shift as the party looks ahead to the midterm elections.
“We have a big tent party, that’s what it says,” Sen. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., said when asked what New York’s election results mean for Democrats.
“This is a democracy,” he continued. “You’re going to have lots of perspectives. It’s up to the voters to decide, and they did.”
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The comments come after three far-left candidates won New York Democratic primaries, including two who defeated sitting Democratic incumbents, fueling debate over whether the victories signal growing influence and intraparty division heading into November’s midterms.
“I’m all about new leadership,” Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., told Fox News Digital when asked about New York’s election results.
Several Maryland Democrats argued the results reflected the unique politics of individual New York districts rather than a broader ideological shift within the Democratic Party.
“I think it’s very reflective of the district,” former U.S. Capitol Police Officer and former Maryland congressional candidate Harry Dunn said.
He continued, “I think we’ve got to be careful applying what happened in New York to everywhere around the country.”
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Other Maryland Democrats stressed the need to respect voters’ choices in their own districts, even when they disagree with the candidates who won.
“I don’t agree with all the things they’ve said,” Rep. Johnny Olszewski, D-Md., said about the socialist candidates in New York. “I don’t agree with all their positions, but I respect what the voters have done in New York. That’s not reflective of the entire country.”
“Every district determines who they want,” Rep. Kweisi Mfume, D-Md., said. “We may not like it. Some people didn’t want me in. So you have to respect what a district, a congressional district, does. It’s still the rule of the people.”
But as the party strives to regain control in Congress, some moderate Democrats have sought to distance themselves from socialism and the party’s leftward push.
Veteran Democratic strategist James Carville condemned some of the radical views of the newly nominated Democratic candidates, particularly Darializa Avila Chevalier — a member of Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) — who ousted five-term Democrat Adriano Espaillat, D-N.Y.
“She has attacked interracial relationships and the American flag. Lady, I ain’t in the same party as you. I’m sorry,” Carville said in an episode of his podcast, Politics War Room.
He continued, “Everybody’s always said, ‘No, no, we’re a coalition. We’re a big tent. And there’s some – there’s just some s— that I can’t be in the same tent with.”
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“I’m a capitalist, not a socialist,” Rep. Thomas Suozzi, D-N.Y., previously told Fox News Digital regarding his views on the New York Democratic candidates. “And I believe in safety, not lawlessness. And I’m proud of America. I’m not ashamed of America.”
Raskin, however, defended the progressivism within his party, arguing the new wave of socialism the Democratic Party is seeing is not consistent with traditional values held by socialists.
“When people say they’re socialists today, I don’t think that they believe in dialectical materialism and dictatorship of the proletariat and classical Marxian socialism,” Raskin said. “I think what they believe is much greater equality and reduction of all the class differences that have grown up under Trump and the plutocrats.”
Republicans have increasingly pointed to the Democratic Party’s move toward socialist principles as a crux in campaigning to hold both their control of the Senate and razor-thin majority in the House.
Most Democratic lawmakers seem to be urging their party to focus on gaining control in Congress in the upcoming midterm elections, regardless of their feelings toward some of the ideology fueling new candidates within the party.
“In a perfect world, everybody should come together — Democratic socialists, moderates,” Dunn said. “Everybody should come together and work together to represent everybody and not just the people who elected them.”