Should Americans celebrate 250 years of liberal democracy by forsaking it for socialism? Such is the implausible demand of leftwing insurgents trying to take over the Democratic Party in deep blue cities.
Their timing couldn’t be worse. The Trump dreadnought has capsized, thanks to its skipper’s megalomaniacal delusions and ineptitude. Democrats are poised to retake at least one House of Congress in the midterm election. Now come democratic socialists to throw Republicans a political lifeline by associating Democrats with radical postures offensive to working Americans.
The socialists’ urban surge began with last fall’s mayoral victories of Zohran Mamdani in New York and Katie Wilson in Seattle. The streak continued this year with primary victories by Janeese Lewis George in Washington, D.C. and State Rep. Chris Rabb in Philadelphia. Last month, three Mamdani-endorsed congressional candidates in New York — Claire Valdez, Darializa Avila Chevalier and Brad Lander — won primaries in heavily Democratic districts.
Democratic socialists scored again Tuesday in Denver, where Melat Kiros, 29, ousted the very progressive Rep. Diana DeGette in Colorado’s Democratic primary. That seemed less an ideological than a generational shift, however, since DeGette, 74, is no centrist.
Socialist gains thus far have been confined to cities and college towns that already are Democratic bastions. Replacing one Democrat with a leftier one doesn’t help the party build a national majority. That requires picking pragmatic candidates who can win swing districts and states.
