Republican lawmakers are sounding alarms over the growing presence of Democratic Socialists in Democratic primary races, with Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) warning that Americans should not become the subjects of another experiment with socialist policies.
“There’s nothing ‘healthy’ about the Democratic Party flirting with socialism,” Paul wrote Friday on X.
“Experiments have subjects, and in this one it’s the American people,” he continued. “Socialism has been tried on every continent, and it produced shortages, censorship, and people risking their lives to leave. Young Americans deserve solutions, not a test run of failed policies the world already rejected.”
Rep. Glenn Grothman (R-WI) offered a similarly sharp assessment Thursday during an appearance on “Washington Watch,” arguing that Republicans need to do more to explain what they believe increased government control would mean in practice.
“We’ve got to do a better job of educating people with [what] socialism is,” Grothman said. “People who don’t take time to really look at these things might prefer to be [a] socialist than a capitalist, but socialism really is the end of freedom.”
Their comments come as Democratic Socialist-aligned candidates have scored several primary victories ahead of November’s midterm elections.
Florida state Rep. Angie Nixon, who recently joined the Democratic Socialists of America, won her August 17 primary and advanced in the race for Florida’s U.S. Senate seat. Her platform includes raising the federal minimum wage to $25 an hour and establishing Medicare for All.
In Colorado, DSA member Melat Kiros won her June primary in the race for the state’s 1st Congressional District. Her platform includes universal childcare and an arms embargo.
Grothman argued that such victories should receive more attention because, in his view, expanding government programs inevitably transfers decisions currently made by individuals to the state.
“You’re giving up freedom whenever you allow government to grow,” Grothman said. “And the socialists, of course, they want it to grow to cover 100% of all we have.”
He predicted that such a transition would occur incrementally, with socialist lawmakers gradually increasing taxes and government authority.
“As the socialists get elected, they will take more of your money to determine how to spend it, and they will use the power of government to punish you if you disagree with the major leader,” Grothman said.
He illustrated his argument by describing a hypothetical government-controlled grocery system in which officials could determine what products consumers were permitted to purchase. Grothman similarly argued that extensive state control over employment could eventually make political agreement with the government a condition for finding work.
The renewed Republican criticism also comes as Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), one of the country’s best-known democratic socialists, has restored her membership in the Democratic Socialists of America amid speculation about a possible 2028 presidential campaign.
Reports earlier this month revealed that Ocasio-Cortez had apparently not maintained active DSA membership since 2019.
That produced an unusual situation because the organization had continued publicly identifying her as a member. In 2020, for example, DSA celebrated her congressional reelection by posting, “CONGRATULATIONS to DSA member @AOC on officially being re-elected to congress!”
According to City & State New York, the organization itself apparently did not realize that Ocasio-Cortez had allowed her membership to lapse.
Questions intensified after Ocasio-Cortez discussed her affiliation during an ABC interview, describing herself as belonging to DSA’s New York City chapter rather than the national organization. That created confusion because membership in a local DSA chapter requires membership in the broader national organization.
The organization subsequently reviewed her status, while Ocasio-Cortez rejoined after the seven-year lapse.
DSA said the unusual decision to publicly address an individual’s membership was connected to growing discussion about the 2028 presidential election.
“With chapters and members campaigning to draft Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez as a potential Presidential Primary candidate, we believe that the status of her membership is essential information for members to have in their deliberations and discussions,” the organization said.
