How a party civil war could affect NC Democrats

Since Zohran Mamdami won the New York City mayoral race, the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA), an activist network sponsoring far-left policies and candidates, are suddenly seeing new energy and success. While US Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont brought them attention in his failed presidential runs, repeatedly claiming the title of democratic socialist in public appearances, Mamdami and fellow New Yorker US Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez brought the movement to a new generation of young, more-extreme Democrats, including in North Carolina.

In the last couple weeks, elections around the country have produced victories for the DSA. In New York state’s June 23 primaries, DSA candidates defeated more mainstream candidates in four State Assembly and two state Senate races, according to the Hill. But in an even bigger victory, two DSA candidates — Claire Valdez and Darializa Avila Chevalier — won congressional primaries against incumbent Democrats.

A week later, in Colorado, a third young, extreme DSA candidate defeated a current Democratic member. This time, it was 29-year-old PhD student Melat Kiros unseating a 30-year incumbent in US Rep. Diana DeGette. DSA hopes Oliver Larkin in Florida will win his race next.

But not everyone in the party is thrilled about their ascendancy. US Sen. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania, a fairly centrist Democrat, has positioned himself as a main opponent of the DSA, calling them the “dirtbag left” after their recent victories.

Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA) says Democratic Socialists are the “dirtbag left” and says “They should start their own party.” pic.twitter.com/NC0VPWXprP

— DSA Watch (@DSA_Watch) June 30, 2026

The social media posts he references were revealed in a report by CNN on Chevalier, cataloguing comments that should horrify even the most “progressive” Democrat — including praise for brutal Marxist killers like North Korea’s Kim family, Soviet leaders like Stalin and Lenin, Cuba’s Castro regime, and the Chinese Maoists. Chevalier also said the American flag was best used as a napkin when her hands were dirty; rallied in support of Hamas on Oct. 8 (before any alleged “genocide” in response); and called for abolishing prison, police, ICE, and borders.

Similarly, Kiros said that US and Israeli policies made 9/11 and 10/7 inevitable and called for the abolishing and prosecuting of ICE officials.

This should not be a surprise. If you look through any DSA supporter’s social media comments, they follow the same pattern: support of Marxism over capitalism, hatred for America as conceived of by its founders, unfathomable naivety on criminal justice, calls for getting rid of ICE and borders in general, and an obsession with the world’s only Jewish state.

Party blowback

Establishment Democrats, after watching in horror as prominent, long-time incumbents lose to these very young, very radical candidates, have begun hitting back hard. The consensus from Democratic consultants and pundits after the 2024 loss to Trump was that the party needed to discard “woke” and be able to appeal to the everyday American better. To my surprise, many of them actually seem to be calling out these more-extreme voices directly and saying, “They’re not with us.” Whether they’ll be successful, or if it’s too-little-too-late, is another matter.

In addition to Fetterman, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro told CNN these candidates were “performative” and doubted they would actually be able to deliver on any of their lofty promises.

Van Jones, a former Obama administration advisor, said it was a “red flashing light” that candidates with no qualifications, who celebrated Oct. 7 and called for abolishing police and prisons, are winning Democratic primaries.

Reasonable Democrats are going to have to get off their couches, roll up their sleeves and start organizing real voters on the ground.

We can no longer rely only on TV ads, digital spend and endorsements. Just donating from afar and complaining about the DSA won’t cut it.

The… pic.twitter.com/1rTM1HYwWK

— Van Jones (@VanJones68) June 26, 2026

James Carville, the former Clinton advisor, said it’s time for Democrats to consider the “the S word, schism” because he just “can’t be under the same tent” as the DSA people. He suggested Mamdami create his own party and run these candidates under that label instead.

The pushback was not all words. Some centrist Democrats took an additional step and created a pledge — the Promise to America — defending six fairly basic American values.

• “We are capitalist, not socialist.”
• “We want safety, not lawlessness.”
• “We are responsible, not reckless.”
• “Government should solve problems, not create them.”
• “We are mainstream, not extreme.”
• “We are proud, not ashamed of America.”

Many of these six pledge statements directly push back against DSA talking points. The Promise to America quickly got multiple major signatories.

Comrades! Congrats on your big closed primary win in a district Kamala won by 59 points. We’d love to hear your objections to the content of the Promise to America – let us know a time that works for you to Zoom next week. https://t.co/co7EjcI0Cz

— The Promise to America (@thepromise2026) June 26, 2026

DSA vs Promise to America in North Carolina

A number of these signatories — three out of the current 15 and more than any other state — are from North Carolina. This includes the Democrats from the two most contested US congressional races in the state, incumbent Don Davis in NC-1 and challenger Jamie Ager in NC-11. Paul Barringer, running in NC-13 against incumbent Brad Knott, rounds out the list, but his district is considered a solid Republican seat by pollsters.

While “Promise to America” candidates are now present in the two of the biggest races, there is also a large DSA presence. The group is strongest in the New York area, but they do have a nationwide presence, ballooning from 5,000 or so members before Sanders 2016 run to 105,000+ today. The official DSA website lists five chapters in North Carolina, all in major metro areas: Asheville, Charlotte, the Piedmont Triad, the Triangle, and Wilmington.

As this full-on civil war within the Democratic Party escalates, it may have effects on the ground. Davis’s race may not be as affected, since Democrats in his district are heavily rural, older, blue-collar, and black. DSA, on the other hand, is often young, affluent, white, and urban. But Ager’s district includes Asheville, which has one of the main hubs of DSA activity in the state. If Asheville’s left-wing activists believe he is directly denouncing them by signing the pledge, it could dampen turnout he needs in the city to close the gap with incumbent Republican Chuck Edwards.

There may even be ripple effects for former Gov. Roy Cooper, who is running for North Carolina’s US Senate seat and trying to present a largely centrist image. If he’s forced to pick a side, it could give his opponent, former Republican Party leader Michael Whatley, an opening to start gaining traction. Longer term, the split may become a structural headache for the party in general and a hurdle to reaching moderate and unaffiliated voters.

“How a party civil war could affect NC Democrats” was originally published on www.carolinajournal.com.