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A senior House Democrat is urging his party to push back against the growing socialist wing that’s been gaining influence in recent years.
“I don’t ascribe to any of those ideas at all, and I think that there’s very little support for those ideas,” Rep. Tom Suozzi, D-N.Y., told Fox News Digital in an interview.
He compared the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) to the House Freedom Caucus, a group on the rightmost flank of the House GOP, while denouncing the DSA’s use of the word “democratic” in its name — implying its ideals were mostly socialist in nature.
“Much like the Republicans have had to deal with the Freedom Caucus, the Democrats are going to have to deal with this group,” Suozzi said. “I don’t like the idea of them using ‘democratic.’ I think that we should be, as the Democratic Party, should be fighting against that and saying, ‘You know, you shouldn’t be using the word democratic … that’s us, that’s not you.”
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It comes as DSA-linked candidates are making significant inroads in primary elections across the country, even defeating incumbent House progressives in New York and Colorado.
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And as Republicans work to capitalize on a burgeoning civil war within the party, Suozzi warned fellow Democrats to take the perception of a DSA takeover seriously.
“I try not to waste my time on worry. I try to take action. So I just say very clearly, ‘That’s not me and that’s not us, and this is why that’s not us, and that’s why this is not me.’ And I fight back against it,” Suozzi said. “And there are a lot of Democrats who say, ‘Oh, if you look at it, it’s just a very small percentage in very deep-blue seats. And it’s not that big a deal.’ I think that’s wrong to just discount it like that. I think you just come out head-on, and take it on and say, ‘These guys are wrong. We’ve got nothing to do with them.'”
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Suozzi himself is part of an ever-shrinking group of moderates on both sides of the aisle. He’s also co-chair of the bipartisan Problem Solvers Caucus, which is dedicated to finding legislative solutions that both parties can get behind.
The New York Democrat is one of Republicans’ top targets in the coming midterm elections, and his November victory would be key to Democrats taking back control of the House. Suozzi’s district, anchored in the wealthy Long Island suburbs outside of New York City, was won by President Donald Trump in 2024.
He told Fox News Digital that Democrats should not focus on running against Trump the person, but rather argue about his specific policy actions.
“Your grocery prices are higher, your fuel prices are high, your health insurance costs are higher. Your energy bill is higher. Your kids can’t buy a house — all these different factors. And that’s happening because of this administration,” Suozzi argued. “I think it should be less about Trump himself. You know, when I say it should be a referendum on Trump, it should be a referendum on this administration’s performance addressing the things in your life.”
Meanwhile, Republicans have argued that a Democrat-controlled House will embolden the party’s socialist wing to take control and push policies that are unpopular with Americans.
In the Empire State, for example, New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, a self-described democratic socialist, has become a prominent boogeyman for the right.
Suozzi said the tactic “would be effective” if he had not distanced himself from the socialist’s policy platform early on.
“He’s a very smart guy, he’s very charismatic,” Suozzi said. “I just fundamentally disagree with his positions on things.”
But it’s not enough to speak out against the socialist left, Suozzi warned.
“I started a thing called The Promise to America, where I’ve got now 10 members of Congress signed onto it. We’re in the process of getting 200 state and local officials,” he said. “We’ve identified 10 candidates, Democratic candidates, to sign the pledge that says ‘We’re capitalist, not socialist. We’re for safety, not lawlessness. We’re proud, not ashamed of America, and we’re mainstream, we’re not extreme.’ So we’ve just got to organize, we’ve got to do the work necessary.”
Suozzi is running against Republican former state lawmaker Mike LiPetri, whom Trump endorsed to flip the seat red.
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