Stephen A. Smith: Democratic socialism won’t ‘sell’ in general election

Stephen A. Smith is warning that the success of democratic socialist candidates in their primaries could endanger Democrats’ chances in the November election.

The sports and political commentator told CNN’s Laura Coates on Wednesday that this trend “could ultimately spell doom for the Democratic Party” in its quest to fight against the agenda of President Trump.

“You can beat Trump. You can beat any of his successors. But in order to do so, you‘re going to have to come together as a party under one umbrella,” Smith said, adding that the party “can’t be at the mercy of those on the extreme left.”

“You’re going to have to be somewhat closer to the center, because socialism, I don‘t believe, will work in a general election,” he continued.

Several of the party’s candidates associated with the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) have successfully ousted Democratic incumbents in primary races this election cycle, raising concerns from some Democratic strategists about implications for the party’s leadership and direction.

In Colorado’s Democratic primary Tuesday, democratic socialist Melat Kiros — a 29-year-old Ph.D. student — bested long-time Rep. Diana DeGette for the state’s 1st Congressional District.

Her win follows victories from two democratic socialist candidates in New York House races at the end of last month, both of whom were backed by New York City’s democratic socialist mayor, Zohran Mamdani.

These candidates have pushed for institutional change within the Democratic Party, including campaign finance reform and leadership accountability.

When Kiros was asked by Politico following her primary victory about whether she would back House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) to lead the lower chamber of Congress, the candidate maintained that she would not support “anyone for leadership who takes corporate PAC money.”

Republicans, led by Trump, have sought to inaccurately brand these candidates as “communists.”

Colorado Rep. Lauren Boebert (R) accused members of the Democratic Party of “taking out their own” with their support for democratic socialists in an interview with NewsNation Wednesday evening.

“They are taking out their own and wanting true socialism, which inevitably will be communism,” Boebert told The Hill’s broadcast partner.

“These are already the policies that folks like Diana DeGette have been pushing for, but they were not pushing hard enough,” she continued. “And I promise you, this next Congress, they will push harder than ever for these things.”

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Stephen A. Smith: Democratic socialism won’t ‘sell’ in general election

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