DSA platform sparks GOP attacks as Dem primaries split

Republicans are slamming a new dsa platform as midterm ammo, casting Democrats as extremists, while Democratic primaries deepen a progressive-versus-moderate rift. The Democratic Socialists of America’s “Workers Deserve More” agenda seeks to abolish the Senate and remake core U.S. institutions, though many DSA-backed candidates do not fully adopt it.

Key Takeaways

• The DSA’s mid-July “Workers Deserve More” platform calls for a new constitution, including abolishing the Senate and replacing the presidency and Supreme Court with leaders chosen by Congress.
• House Speaker Mike Johnson and other Republicans branded the agenda a communist threat ahead of November’s midterms.
• More than 35 DSA-backed candidates have won recent primaries, while establishment Democrats push back against socialist nominees.
• DSA membership has grown from about 24,000 in 2017 to more than 120,000, according to NewsNation reporting.
• Many progressive candidates distance themselves from parts of the full DSA agenda even as Republicans paint with a broad brush.

According to AP News, the Democratic Socialists of America’s new platform has become Republican attack fodder just as DSA-aligned candidates notch primary victories that expose Democratic Party fractures.

The fight is not only about slogans. It is about whether voters will treat the DSA’s long-term vision as the Democratic brand—or as a factional blueprint that many nominees explicitly reject.

What does the new DSA platform actually propose?

Published earlier this month, the Workers Deserve More platform proposes drafting “a new constitution” with major structural changes. Those include abolishing the Senate, replacing the president and the Supreme Court with leaders picked by Congress, and allowing all permanent U.S. residents to vote.

AP reports the agenda also calls for expanding voting rights, publicly financing elections, replacing the two-party system with multi-party democracy, establishing public ownership of large corporations, expanding immigrant rights, and ending Immigration and Customs Enforcement detentions and deportations.

NewsNation’s coverage of the same platform lists additional social priorities: free public college, rent control, state-run health care, reparations for slavery, and amnesty for people in the U.S. illegally, plus calls to abolish ICE, prisons, the Supreme Court, and the Senate.

DSA co-chair Megan Romer, appearing on Fox News Sunday, confirmed various aspects of the agenda while acknowledging that proposals such as abolishing borders and prisons would be part of a long-term plan. The group says some goals can be pursued under the current system, but that ultimately it seeks “building a new society from the ground up.”

The Wall Street Journal’s editorial board, cited by AP, called the agenda radical and argued that Republicans and willing Democrats should educate the country about it—while cautioning that blunt “communism” attack lines may not resonate with younger voters.

Why are Republicans calling the DSA agenda a midterm threat?

House Speaker Mike Johnson wrote on X that “the barbarians are inside the gate — and Democrats are WELCOMING them in,” adding that communism “is here on our SHORES.” The Republican National Committee highlighted the platform over the weekend, and GOP lawmakers piled on.

“These people are insane,” Sen. Ted Cruz replied on X. House Majority Leader Steve Scalise urged followers to “watch this clip closely,” warning the ideas “could be coming to your community sooner than you think.”

President Donald Trump has again called Democrats communists and said they want to “destroy the traditional American way of life,” AP reports. After months spent defending the party amid anger over foreign wars and living costs, Republicans have returned to a more familiar framing: Democrats as extremists.

That framing matters for November races that will decide which party controls Congress. Even if DSA candidates do not mirror every platform plank, the document gives the GOP a single, vivid target.

How are Democratic primaries splitting over the DSA?

NewsNation reports more than 35 DSA-backed candidates have won primaries heading into the midterms, intensifying what analysts call an identity crisis inside the Democratic Party. AP notes aligned candidates have edged out moderates in recent House primaries in New York and Colorado, capitalizing on anger at the party establishment and skepticism of the U.S. alliance with Israel.

Democratic socialist candidates have also won mayoral races in Washington, D.C., New York, and Seattle. An upcoming Missouri primary pairing a DSA-backed former congresswoman against a moderate Democratic incumbent will further test the movement’s momentum.

Not every progressive nominee embraces the full DSA brand. In Michigan’s Senate primary, Abdul El-Sayed has distanced himself from socialism, saying he believes in capitalism but that it needs to be regulated.

Former Democratic National Committee chair Jaime Harrison has urged candidates who “hate the Democratic Party” not to seek the party’s nomination or use its resources. “Focus on building the party you actually support,” he wrote in June.

DSA membership growth underscores the stakes: from roughly 24,000 members in 2017 to more than 120,000 today, NewsNation reports. On Katie Pavlich Tonight, New York City DSA co-chair Grace Mausser said growth reflects frustration with the status quo: “We’re offering a new vision, and more and more people are getting on board.”

Bhaskar Sunkara, president of The Nation magazine, told NewsNation the institutional overhaul is “just like a more parliamentary vision of a republic,” not an authoritarian one-party leap. Critics disagree, and funding questions have followed the electoral surge.

Democratic fundraiser Evan Barker told NewsNation DSA-aligned campaigns draw more organized money than a pure grassroots image suggests, citing outside groups and wealthy donors. FEC data cited by NewsNation showed a majority of fundraising for DSA-aligned candidate Darlisa Chevallier came from out-of-state donors, much of it through super PACs; she was endorsed by New York City mayor Zohran Mamdani.

For readers watching how policy fights over ownership, wages, and public benefits ripple into personal finance trends, explore BlasterPost’s Wealth Hacks & Passive Income hub.

Bottom line: the DSA platform gives Republicans a sharp midterm message, while Democratic primaries show a party divided over how far left—and how quickly—it is willing to go.