Former Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel has warned that the rise of "Bernie bros" and Democratic socialist candidates could harm the Democratic Party in upcoming elections. Emanuel argues in a Wall Street Journal opinion column that these candidates often promote unpopular progressive positions that force moderate Democrats in competitive districts to answer for them, potentially jeopardizing their campaigns.
Emanuel drew a parallel to the 2006 midterms, when he led the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC). He asserted that Democrats succeeded then by recruiting candidates who assuaged voter concerns about the party being out of touch or weak on national defense. He believes that efforts to elect socialists in safely Democratic districts now create disadvantages for the party in swing districts.
"When the DSA attempts to turn safe Democratic states and districts a darker shade of blue, Democratic candidates in swing districts are put at a distinct disadvantage," Emanuel stated. He pointed to the victory of DSA member Darializa Avila Chevalier over Rep. Adriano Espaillat in New York’s 13th Congressional District as an example of how positions promoted by socialist candidates in heavily Democratic areas could be used against moderates nationwide.
Emanuel also attributed recent Democratic electoral losses to the promotion of policies such as "defund the police, open the borders, abolish prisons, release violent criminals onto the streets and degrade the flag." He cited Nebraska Democratic congressional nominee Denise Powell, who is running in the competitive 2nd Congressional District, as a candidate who might be unfairly labeled by Republicans as "DSA Denise."
"Candidates in competitive districts have to spend time and effort differentiating themselves from the DSA’s agenda when they should be focusing voters on Mr. Trump’s corruption," Emanuel said.
When asked about Emanuel's argument, former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg suggested that moderate Democrats should focus on presenting their own agenda. "Yeah, I think those of us who are more moderate in the party should concentrate our efforts on talking about what we’re for," Buttigieg said on CNN. He emphasized unifying agendas such as affordable healthcare, tax fairness, and campaign finance reform, rather than focusing on internal party factions.
Buttigieg had previously campaigned with Powell in Omaha, and the DCCC has included Powell in its Red to Blue program, which supports Democratic candidates in competitive Republican-held districts.