DNC Chair Ken Martin defended the Democratic Party’s willingness to run Democratic Socialists of America-aligned candidates, arguing on CNN’s “Inside Politics” Wednesday that unity across the party’s ideological spectrum is necessary to win elections nationwide.
Guest host Kasie Hunt pressed Martin on whether embracing DSA candidates who have won in heavily Democratic areas actually helps the party build the majorities it needs elsewhere. “You say you need to be united, but does embracing some of the Democratic Socialists of America who have been winning in very blue places help get the candidates that are going to make your majorities over the finish line?” she asked.
Martin responded by describing the Democratic Party as a “big tent” that includes conservative Democrats, centrist Democrats, progressives and what he called “new Democrats” and “these leftists.”
“The reality is, it takes all of us, all types of Democrats, to win throughout the country,” Martin said.
Martin pushed back on the framing that internal divisions are the story, saying commentators like Hunt focus too much on what separates Democrats rather than what unites them.
“I am reminded of the fact that there is more that unites all of these disparate parts of our party. Every Democrat I know is running to put more money in people’s pockets. Every Democrat I know is running to make sure we get towards universal healthcare so no one goes without healthcare in this country. Every Democrat I know is making sure that we bring down the cost of housing and make sure that people can afford the groceries and are paid a living wage and can retire with dignity,” Martin said.
He added that these positions represent “core values of the Democratic Party” regardless of where a candidate falls on the ideological spectrum. “Whether you’re on the far left or the far right of our party, the things that unite us are much bigger than the things that divide us,” Martin said.
