The hard-left politics of Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) and the so-called “Squad,” once a dominant theme for vast numbers of elected Democrats, is backfiring big-time on the party in power, top Democrats tell us.
Why it matters: The push to defund the police, rename schools and tear down statues has created a significant obstacle to Democrats keeping control of the House, the Senate and the party’s overall image.
- “It’s a huge problem.”
The latest sign of the backlash was the landslide (70%+) recall this week of three San Francisco school board members, who were criticized for prioritizing issues like the renaming of 44 public schools — including oneshonoring George Washington and Abraham Lincoln — over a return to in-person classes.
- Other factors like an abrupt admissions change to a prestigious high school were at play (all politics is local).
It’s part of a barrage of evidence that the progressive activism of the Squad pushed the party’s image way left of where most voters are — even most Democratic voters.
This is a seismic shift from just a year ago. The signs have built steadily throughout President Biden’s 13 months in office that Squad politics are problematic when you control everything:
- 30 House Democrats — the most in decades — have announced they’ll retire instead of running in November’s midterms. They see little hope of keeping the majority in this environment.
- Democrats lose poll after poll of generic House matchups, which ask voters if they’d prefer an R or a D if the election were held today.
Former Sen. Heidi Heitkamp of North Dakota says her fellow Democrats are hurting themselves by not speaking out more forcefully against liberal positions that alienate rural America.
https://www.axios.com/democrats-squad-activists-midterms-f90b3e95-b5c7-4272-8763-05bd948a553e.html