After wins by democratic socialists, centrist Democrats unite to push back

“They should not be the face of our party,” said Jessica Killin, a Democratic candidate running in a competitive Colorado district. “We need to be organized and clear in our vision.”

Killin is one of the 13 who signed on to the “Promise to America” initiative that commits candidates to a set of centrist principles, including capitalism, fiscal discipline, strong borders and pride in the United States.

The group says centrist Democrats need to assert their own vision for the party as forcefully and effectively as the left.

“We’re seeing a lot of results from the country from the far left and the far right, and they’re organized. I mean, you have to give them credit,” Rep. Tom Suozzi (D-New York) said. But “that kind of campaign and that type of ideology is not going to play with the people in our districts.”

The 2026 midterm primaries have shown some of the best-ever performances by the party’s leftmost wing. Candidates endorsed by the Democratic Socialists of America defeated well-funded candidates backed by incumbents, including Darializa Avila Chevalier and Claire Valdez in New York, Chris Rabb in Philadelphia and Lewis George.

For years, democratic socialists had been a relative fringe in the party. Only two currently serving House Democrats are DSA-affiliated — Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (New York) and Rashida Tlaib (Michigan) — though several others previously were DSA members

Priscilla Yeverino, the DSA’s communications director, responded that “Socialism is mainstream” in a statement to The Washington Post that pointed to the popularity of Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont) — a prominent democratic socialist — and criticized the “two-party system that serves special interests and billionaires” at the expense of the working class.

“War, genocide, and unaffordable living costs are wildly unpopular,” it continued. “The majority of Americans believe our government should provide accessible healthcare for all. They believe wages are too low, housing, healthcare, and education are increasingly unaffordable, and they overwhelmingly support taxing the rich.”

DSA candidates still represent a relative minority of Democratic campaigns this year, but Republicans have cast the DSA’s wins this year as a leftward turn for the party as a whole.

“What started as the Socialist Squad in 2018 has turned into an army that has taken over the Democrat Party,” said Mike Marinella, a spokesperson for the National Republican Congressional Committee. “Every House Democrat will have to answer for the socialist agenda that’s now driving their party, and face the fact that their radical agenda will lose them elections.”

Suozzi and Adam Gray (California), who are the only Democrats to flip red districts in 2024 that President Donald Trump won that year, helped debut the group during the centrist gathering WelcomeFest this month.

The other signatories who announced their support Thursday include candidates and incumbents running in competitive races, including several districts that Trump won. Reps. Kristen McDonald Rivet (Michigan), Susie Lee (Nevada), Maggie Goodlander (New Hampshire), Josh Gottheimer (New Jersey), Laura Gillen (New York), Don Davis (North Carolina), Janelle Bynum (Oregon) and Vicente Gonzalez (Texas) are all supporters. Candidates Marlene Galán-Woods in Arizona, Jamie Ager and Paul Barringer in North Carolina and Bobby Pulido in Texas also signed on.

“We disagree with MAGA. We disagree with socialists,” Suozzi said. “We don’t want this extremism. We want mainstream.”