You’re probably familiar with Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), and New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani — three political figures who embrace the label “democratic socialist” rather than “progressive” or “liberal.” This week, three congressional candidates endorsed by Mamdani won their primaries in New York, ousting two Democratic incumbents.
Gubernatorial candidate Rep. Francesca Hong (D-Madison) also proudly adopts the democratic socialist label, as do two other legislators.
Rep. Christian Phelps (D-Eau Claire) offered an explanation that starts with the label “moderate.” Phelps said the majority of voters consider themselves moderate. “They’d say their own value system is normal. But when political actors use ‘moderate,’ that’s a red flag. It means they’re not willing to ask for and fight for what we deserve in the ideal world.”
Democratic socialists, Phelps said, want a better safety net on top of a capitalist system — versus classic socialists who want to replace private sector capitalism with a system where government controls industry. The two are not the same, but Republicans believe the label will be confusing enough that they can use it to defeat democratic socialists.
Will that work? Or are people seeing democratic socialists as an improvement over so-called “corporate Democrats” who choose incremental progress over bold changes?
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