Wes Moore distances from democratic socialist ideas: ‘I do not prescribe to an ideology’

Maryland Gov. Wes Moore (D) distanced himself from some of the ideas previously promoted by democratic socialist candidates, saying he does not “prescribe to an ideology.”

Fox News’s Shannon Bream listed various ideas advocated by democratic socialists who have notched electoral wins in recent primaries. Some have, in the past, expressed abolishing prisons and opening the southern border.

When asked by Bream if democratic socialists “belong” in the Democratic Party, Moore directed to his own focus as an elected official.

“I think the thing that I focus on is what’s the results that I’m providing for my people,” he said. “I do not prescribe to an ideology. I do not prescribe to a wing.”

Moore said he does not advocate for ideas proposed by democratic socialists and has focused more on addressing violence and helping Maryland’s communities.

“I mean, the thing I always think about is what’s the results that people are going to see, and honestly, that’s what I think people actually care about,” he said about democratic socialist candidates. “Most people aren’t paying attention to the parlor game about winning a party or name or all the kind of stuff. They’re like, ‘Who’s going to bring results?'”

Moore said that when confronted with questions of whether he would be pro-police or pro-community, he said he would not prefer one over the other, reminding that Maryland has “made the largest investments in local law enforcement in our state’s history, and I also invest in things like community violence interruption.”

Left-wing candidates have scored victories in deep-blue congressional districts in New York, Colorado and Pennsylvania, as well as cities like Washington, D.C., and Los Angeles. The rising tide has made headlines as some incumbent Democrats, including 15-term Rep. Diana DeGette’s (D-Colo.), have lost to more leftist candidates. The recent wins also come on the heels of New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s (D) successful mayoral campaign last year.

Conservatives like Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) have warned that it is a rising threat to the Democratic Party establishment while also echoing President Trump’s claim conflating these candidates’ views with communism, which both Republican leaders say is a threat to the country.

“Our warriors did not fight communism on battlefields across the world, only to have that menace rear its ugly head right back here in America,” Trump said in his late-night Fourth of July speech on the National Mall on Saturday. “We’d like to stop a threat like that immediately and before it begins.”

Progressive Democrats have been welcoming more voices within the party. Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) said democratic socialist Melat Kiros’s victory over DeGette was a step toward building a new Democratic Party and that it was “time for the old guard to step aside.” Other Democrats have said these victories ultimately mean a path to hold Trump accountable.

“So, while we’ll have conversations across the spectrum, we’ll wait and see when these new members get here,” Rep. Ami Bera (D-Calif.) said last week in an interview on CNN. “But at the end of the day, this is about affordability. It’s about stopping Donald Trump. It’s about holding this corrupt regime accountable.”