Republicans lean into anticommunism midterm argument

House Republicans are making fears about a creeping communist threat central to their midterm argument — accusing the furthest-left Democratic candidates of not just being self-styled democratic socialists, but promoting a society based on collective ownership of resources. 

Sounding the alarm about communism and its dangers has been the focus of top House Republicans in their message-setting ahead of the long August recess as acolytes and allies of democratic socialist New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani (D) and Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) have seen electoral success. 

“We’re fighting right now in Congress over whether we’re going to maintain our status as a constitutional republic or we’re going to trade that in, dismantle the foundations and go down this dark road of death to communism,” Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) said in a press conference at the Republican National Committee.

“These crazy little mini-Mamdani’s who are popping up all around the country, they are a danger to you and your family.”

House Republican Conference Chair Lisa McClain (Mich.) sustained that message in the Capitol on Tuesday. 

“The radical left feels they need to hide what their policies are,” McClain (R-Mich.) said in a press conference. “They soften the language. They invent nicer labels. They call themselves ‘democratic socialists,’ almost as though they’re ashamed to tell the American people what they actually believe.”

“Let’s call it what it is: It’s communism.”

The Republican focus on communism comes as the Democratic establishment has seen a wave of progressives and democratic socialists winning primaries in recent weeks — in some cases ousting senior House........

© The Hill