Democratic strategist James Carville has warned that far-left candidates are becoming a serious liability for the Democratic Party, saying they are «too hard-headed» to understand how unpopular they are with voters. In an interview published Thursday, he cautioned that such candidates could cost Democrats primaries the party should never lose.
Carville told CNN’s Donie O’Sullivan that challenges from the «progressive left» could cause real problems in otherwise winnable races. He pointed to Abdul El-Sayed, who is seeking Michigan’s Democratic Senate nomination, and described him as highly competent but «way left.» Carville said these candidates do not grasp their standing with the public, adding, «People don’t like ’em.»
His remarks come as a wave of democratic socialist candidates has reshaped Democratic primaries this year. El-Sayed is running a competitive campaign in Michigan, while Francesca Hong has emerged as a leading contender in Wisconsin’s Democratic gubernatorial primary. Earlier in the year, several democratic socialist candidates won Democratic primaries in New York City. Carville argued that those races have national consequences because voters will link all Democrats to the most visible progressive campaigns.
Speaking on his «Politics War Room» podcast, Carville said the fallout from Michigan and Wisconsin would not stay in those states. «What happens in the Michigan Democratic primary doesn’t stay in the Michigan Democratic primary,» he said. «What happens in the Wisconsin Democratic primary for governor doesn’t stay in Wisconsin, and they’re going to be tagged as part of the Democratic Party.»
Carville’s co-host on the podcast, Al Hunt, said he does not think the far-left is poised to take over the Democratic Party, but he acknowledged that the attention around such candidates could complicate an otherwise strong Democratic year. He warned that a hyped-up narrative about the left taking over could hurt other Democrats.
Carville also challenged democratic socialists directly, asking why they continue to use a label that drags the party down. «Why don’t you get another name?» he said. «Why are you dragging our names through the mud? If you don’t like it, call yourself something else.»
Fox News contributor Guy Benson said Carville’s critique may be rooted less in ideological disagreement than in political calculation. «While Carville’s criticism of these hardcore Leftist candidates is trenchant, it seems like he’s most upset that they’re risking his party’s chances of maximizing power,» Benson said. He noted that Carville has expressed support for court packing and admitting new blue states, and has urged Democrats not to campaign on an extremist agenda but to push it through once in office.
The warnings come as the Democratic Socialists of America face fresh scrutiny over their platform. DSA national co-chair Megan Romer appeared on «Fox News Sunday» and affirmed a series of positions when asked whether the organization supports dismantling major American institutions. Romer said «true» when asked if the group wants to abolish the Senate, replace the presidency and the Supreme Court, abolish ICE, eventually eliminate national borders while granting amnesty to immigrants living in the country illegally, defund the Pentagon, phase out prisons and shift most large corporations to public ownership. She described some of those proposals, including abolishing borders and prisons, as long-term goals.
The El-Sayed campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment.