During a “Meet the Press” interview with Kristen Welker, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries expressed his lack of support for the Democratic Socialists of America’s policies.
The Democratic representative from New York made it clear to the NBC News host that he does not endorse the current agenda of the Democratic Socialist Party of America (DSA), although he did leave open the possibility for more DSA-affiliated candidates to join the party by January 2027.
Neither Jeffries’ office nor the DSA provided immediate feedback to inquiries from the Daily Caller News Foundation.
“Do Democratic Socialists belong to the Democratic Party?” Welker asked, referencing the recent DSA convention in Chicago.
Jeffries replied, “Well, I don’t support defunding the police. I don’t support open borders. I support abolishing the Senate. We’re focused on addressing the actual issues that hardworking American taxpayers want us to tackle: the high cost of living in a country where it’s just too expensive. That’s the challenge for Democrats, and that’s what we’re working to resolve.”
Welker then questioned Jeffries about whether he sees a place for democratic socialists within the Democratic Party.
“I don’t support the DSA agenda as they directly state,” he responded. “Yet, there will be individual members who win their Democratic primaries and, if elected in November, will join the House Democratic caucus. It’s going to be a diverse group—with progressives, New Democrats, and Blue Dogs all included.”
Jeffries emphasized that he’s focused on candidates winning seats in November to gain a majority that can counter Donald Trump’s extreme positions and guide the country positively. He also touched on issues of affordability and the importance of holding criminals accountable come January.
A CBS News poll revealed that about 58% of Democrats hold a “positive” outlook on socialism, with that figure rising to 71% among college graduates.
Of the 171 DSA-tracked races, 62 candidates emerged victorious, while 54 were defeated. There are still 55 ongoing races at the time of this article.
Interestingly, just 8% of Democrats in the CBS News survey indicated that the party was more progressive than they preferred.
