Expert warns Democrats risk backlash over failure to condemn violent rhetoric in their ranks

With less than two weeks before critical elections across the country, Democrats have tough questions to grapple with about their messaging and whether they can navigate the growing movement in their party that is embracing or downplaying political violence, attorney and political commentator Kaitlin Puccio told Fox News Digital. 

“We do hear a lot of just the Democrats are against Trump, but we don’t hear a lot of what they’re actually for, which is problematic. And it kind of seems to me like they don’t really have a cohesive message,” Puccio, adjunct professor at Fordham Law and the director of the Art and Bioethics Initiative of the UNESCO Chair in Bioethics and Human Rights, said in an interview with Fox News Digital. 

Puccio said the ‘No Kings’ protests last week, where several examples of promoting violence went viral on social media, show a “fracture” in the Democratic Party that mainstream elected officials will have to contend with. 

Additionally, messaging at those rallies lacked substance, Puccio explained.

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“It’s mostly, ‘We are against Trump.’ OK, but, specifically, what are you against? What is the specific policy that you are against?” Puccio said. “‘No Kings’: great. But we don’t have a king. We all know that. We’re not supposed to take this phrase literally, but what about the policies that are in place right now do you think are authoritarian? And what do you want instead? So, we’re hearing a lot of slogans and phrases and kind of catchphrases. And really that leaves the message without substance.”

Questions about Democrats’ support for political violence have been front and center in recent weeks after Virginia Democratic attorney general candidate Jay Jones was outed for past texts fantasizing about killing a Republican colleague and wishing death on that colleague’s children.

“I don’t think that it’s lost on voters that there are these horrible texts that came out recently from Jay Jones. And the strange thing is that there are very few people who are condemning these texts,” Puccio said, noting that prominent Democrats, particularly in Virginia, have refused to call on Jones to drop out of the race.

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“But I think the reason for that is that the party of tolerance, right, the Democrats, is actually, it’s become a very intolerant party,” Puccio added. 

“So, if you have people condemning these texts, this sort of violent political rhetoric and things like that, they don’t want to be alienated by their own party. Look at what they’ve done or tried to do to John Fetterman. When he tries to think for himself instead of having the party tell him what to think, they ostracize him. I think that is kind of the reason that we’re in this weird place with our leaders, because everyone is kind of being quiet.”

In addition to Jones, Maine Democratic Senate candidate Graham Platner has faced scrutiny over advocating political violence in the past and a tattoo that resembles a Nazi Germany symbol.

Puccio told Fox News Digital Platner’s apology seemed to show remorse compared to the reaction from Jones, which could serve as a blueprint going forward on how Democrats can acknowledge past mistakes.

“The point is that every situation has to be evaluated separately, but the conversation still has to be had over what to do within our Democratic Party about this violent rhetoric, which is, it’s basically being accepted right now,” Puccio said. “What we’re about to see, I don’t know how long it’s going to take, but I do think there’s going to be a shift toward the middle because I think there is going to be a realization that we are leaving out. And by ‘we,’ I mean all Americans in general were forgetting from both sides of the political aisle about the middle.”

While Democrats are expected to perform strongly in next year’s midterms, given that, historically, the party not in power does well in those elections, Republicans have been closing the gap in the Virginia and New Jersey gubernatorial elections being held in early November, which could send a signal that Democrats aren’t in as strong of a position as many experts think. 

Puccio said today’s Democratic Party is “unrecognizable,” which will hopefully push leaders to come out forcefully and take back control.

“I think that there will be this realization that the loudest voices on either side of the political aisle are not necessarily representative of the entire party. And I think that people are going to be forced to say no to this kind of uncivil discourse that we’re seeing because people, we citizens, are going to get very tired of seeing our leaders behave in very childish and, frankly, disrespectful ways toward each other,” Puccio said. 

“These are not supposed to be the way our elected leaders act. And I would hope that there emerge some actual leaders and not just politicians in the future who recognize that they need to speak to everyone and not a small niche in their party.”