BY ROBERT HORNAK | rahornak@gmail.com
The results of New York’s primary are setting off alarm bells among Democrats all across the country. And while not every candidate running to the far left won their primary, the candidates running with the support of the Democratic Socialists of America had a very successful and very concerning day.
For most of the 250 years this country has existed, the one thing that has always united the main political parties has been patriotism and love of country – the belief that America is the greatest nation to ever exist.
That is now officially no longer a shared value.
The socialist wing of the Democratic Party is now the wing essentially calling the shots. And mainstream Democrats from the Kennedy-Clinton “proud to be American” tradition are suffering from exploding head syndrome.
Former Clinton strategist James Carville has been one of the most vocal, after one of the most extreme candidates with the backing of Zohran Mamdani, Darializa Avila Chevalier, won her primary for NY’s 13th Congressional District, said on his podcast, “She has attacked interracial relationships and the American flag. Lady, I ain’t in the same party as you. I’m sorry. I’m just not, and I actually do think it’s time for Democrats to talk ‘the S-word.’ ‘Schism.’ I really do.”
Addressing the growing and increasingly mainstream antisemitism of Democrat candidates, “I am totally comfortable in a political party that spends time questioning the policies of the government of Israel. In fact, I’m enthusiastic about that. I don’t want to be in a political party that denies the right of the state of Israel to exist. That’s just not — I just can’t do that. I’m sorry.”
NYS Democratic Party Chairman Jay Jacobs has expressed the same concern, telling the NY Post, “Yes. I do think the Israel-Palestinian issue had an impact in the election. It hurt establishment Democrats.” He added that this was a driving issue for the 17% of democrats that actually came out to vote.
The Anti-Defamation League, an organization that is usually a reliable Democrat supporter, put out a statement on X declaring, “On Tuesday night in New York City, a movement built on antisemitic rhetoric won three congressional primaries.”
This puts NY’s two Congressional Leaders, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, in a very difficult position. The divergence of viewpoints in their conferences will become increasingly untenable and the socialist left will continue to primary incumbent Dems, and likely with enough success to keep the Party moving further and further to the extreme.
The DSA has, so far, focused on solid Democrat districts, going after Democrats, and fairly leftist ones at that, where there is virtually no chance that they will lose in November, protecting their reputation as nobody can say they threw a seat to the Republicans.
But with their big wins in NYC and other cities around the country they are now emboldened and are reportedly looking at Long Island districts and other more suburban areas for the next campaign cycle.
The biggest problem for the Party is that many more pro-America and pro-Israel democrats are not happy and the push for schism may be coming faster than anyone realizes. These are not factions that can compromise with each other or coexist in any workable form. Ultimately it will come down to who stays and who goes. And then where do they go?
If the mainstream Dems keep control, the DSA faction can stay and just cause headaches for the leadership, like AOC did her first few years. Or they could help build the Working Families Party and try to control the Democratic line from outside by making key races three-way contests, letting the Republican win in the short term, but then going after the seat the next election with both lines united.
However, if the DSA gets full control, the exodus will be fast and furious. Democrats could become Independent’s or they could join the evolving Republican Party. This, along with the minority vote swinging away from the Democratic Party, could spell the end of the Democratic Party as we know it.
Robert Hornak is a veteran political consultant who has previously worked for the NYC office of the Republican Assembly Leader and served as Executive Director of the Queens Republican Party. He can be reached at rahornak@gmail.com and @roberthornak on X.
