Republicans decry a new Democratic Socialists of America platform as Dem
primaries split the party
[July 28, 2026]
By ALI SWENSON
NEW YORK (AP) — A new platform from a progressive group that’s notched
several recent primary victories is becoming fodder for Republican
attacks, as the GOP looks to frame Democrats as extremists and
communists ahead of November’s midterm elections.
Although the Democratic Socialists of America’s Workers Deserve More
platform doesn’t necessarily line up exactly with the candidates’ own
agendas, prominent Republicans over the weekend decried it. The DSA
platform proposes drafting "a new constitution” with significant changes
to the structure of the U.S. government, including abolishing the
Senate, replacing the president and the Supreme Court with leaders
picked by Congress and allowing all permanent U.S. residents to vote.
Alongside those changes, the platform, published earlier this month,
calls for a number of social reforms.
“The barbarians are inside the gate — and Democrats are WELCOMING them
in,” House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., wrote on X. “Communism is no
longer a far fetched threat. It is here on our SHORES!”
The Wall Street Journal’s conservative-leaning editorial board also
warned about the agenda, calling it radical and writing that the job of
Republicans and willing Democrats is to educate the country about it.
But it cautioned Republicans to avoid communism attack lines, saying
they wouldn't resonate with younger generations.
Progressive and DSA-backed candidates running in Democratic primaries
across the country don’t all subscribe to the group’s full agenda. The
left is also split between progressive and moderate wings that have
different ideas about the best policies to carry the Democratic Party
forward. But the DSA platform has created an opening for Republicans to
attack Democrats with a broad brush as they look for an edge in races
that will determine which party has a majority in Congress next year.
President Donald Trump this year has returned to an old habit of calling
Democrats communists, saying they want to “destroy the traditional
American way of life.” Other Republicans have followed suit, turning to
more comfortable territory after months spent defending their party as
disgruntled Americans fume about foreign wars and the high cost of
living.
DSA agenda calls for dramatic overhaul of government and society
The DSA’s vision for the country laid out in mid-July proposes major
changes that the group says can in part be achieved under the current
system but ultimately would require “building a new society from the
ground up.”
Among the suggested changes are expanding voting rights, publicly
financing all elections, replacing the two-party system with a
multi-party democracy, establishing public ownership of large
corporations and expanding rights for immigrants while ending
Immigration and Customs Enforcement detentions and deportations.
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Jon Torsch wears a T-shirt promoting democratic socialism during a
gathering of the Southern Maine Democratic Socialists of America at
City Hall in Portland, Maine, July 16, 2018. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)
In a recent appearance on “Fox News Sunday,” the group’s co-chair
Megan Romer confirmed various aspects of the agenda while
acknowledging that some of the proposals, like abolishing borders
and prisons, would be considered parts of a long-term plan.
The Republican National Committee over the weekend called attention
to the platform in a post that several GOP lawmakers seized on to
raise alarm.
“These people are insane,” Texas Sen. Ted Cruz replied on X.
“Watch this clip closely,” wrote Rep. Steve Scalise, the No. 2 House
Republican. “These ideas could be coming to your community sooner
than you think.”
Progressive candidates have succeeded in recent races
The DSA's agenda comes as aligned candidates have triumphed in
several recent Democratic primaries. They’ve capitalized on voter
anger at the party establishment and rising skepticism of the U.S.
alliance with Israel to edge out moderates in House races in New
York and Colorado.
Democratic socialist candidates also have succeeded in mayoral
elections in major U.S. cities, including Washington, D.C., New York
and Seattle. An upcoming Missouri primary pitting a DSA-backed
former congresswoman against the moderate Democratic incumbent will
further test the movement’s momentum.
In other elections, progressive candidates have outlined where they
differ from the DSA's agenda. In an upcoming Michigan Senate
primary, for example, progressive candidate Abdul El-Sayed has
distanced himself from socialism, saying that he believes in
capitalism but that it needs to be regulated.
Meanwhile, establishment Democrats including former Democratic
National Committee chair Jaime Harrison have forcefully pushed back
against DSA candidates who run in the party’s primaries while
criticizing the way the party is going.
“I say this with no ill will or animosity: if you hate the
Democratic Party, then please don’t run for our nomination,”
Harrison wrote in a social media post in June. “Don’t use our
resources. Don’t rely on our volunteers. Don’t use our
infrastructure. Don’t ask Democrats to invest their time, money, and
energy in your campaign. Focus on building the party you actually
support.”
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