Washington Examiner chief political correspondent Byron York said the growing divide within the Democratic Party is creating unease for mainstream Democrats as Democratic Socialists of America-adjacent candidates have “taken a step forward.”
Mainstream Democrats are “very concerned because DSA, and what you might call DSA-adjacent candidates, are really on a higher level now than they were just a few weeks ago,” York said Friday on Fox & Friends.
York highlighted how socialist candidates such as Claire Valdez and Darializa Avila Chevalier won House primaries in New York, Abdul el Sayed won the Senate primary in Michigan, and how close Francesca Hong was to winning the Democratic primary in Wisconsin’s gubernatorial race.
“I think you’d have to say that even though they were 1-1 in those statewide races, that is a step forward for the DSA, and it’s causing more concern to those mainstream Democrats,” York said.
Some Democrats are even making the decision to back former Rep. Mike Rogers, the Michigan Republican Senate nominee, over el Sayed.
Fox News conducted a Senate poll showing el Sayed having roughly 98% support from DSA Democrats and independents, compared to Rogers with only 2%.
However, when compared to support from non-DSA Democrats and independents, el Sayed had 69% while Rogers had 27%.
DID BAD POLLS MAKE DSA MORE APPEALING THAN IT WAS?
“What’s really fascinating there is normally at this point in a race, you’re going to see all the Republicans in their corner and all the Democrats in their corner,” York said. “You do have that with Rogers and the Republicans in Michigan, but with the Democrats, you have this significant [number], a fifth, almost a quarter of Democrats saying they’re going to support Rogers.
“Now, that is really unusual, and it is clear evidence that they are uncomfortable with what’s happening in the Democratic Party.”