As Democratic socialists, including New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, gain ground within the Democratic Party, former White House chief of staff Rahm Emanuel argued that socialists have less influence over his party than Republicans contend.
Emanuel, the former mayor of Chicago and, at one point, President Barack Obamas right-hand man, distanced himself from the more radical positions of the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) while suggesting that the group could have a place within the party if it adopted more moderate positions.
“I don’t believe the socialists are a wing,” he told the “Hang Out with Sean Hannity” podcast. “I think they are a separate party. They believe in defunding the police, which is not the party position. They believe open borders and open prisons. That’s not the partys position.”
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“When you switch that, we can talk,” Emanuel added.
Conservatives have expressed concern over the rise of far-left, progressive candidates within the Democratic Party, warning that socialist-leaning politicians like Mamdani and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., could overtake party moderates.
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Emanuel pushed back on the Republican Partys characterization of the Democratic Partys trajectory, pointing to New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill and Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger as examples of Democratic pragmatism.
“I don’t think that’s where the party is,” Emanuel said. “I think the party is in the pragmatic wing; you can see that in the governor of Virginia, you can see that in the governor of New Jersey, how they both won their primaries.”
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The longtime Clinton adviser argued that it is healthy for the Democratic Party to have debate between its progressive and moderate factions. He also warned that the Republican Party faces an exodus of its moderate wing once spearheaded by Mitt Romney and John McCain.
“I happen to think we’re going to have a healthy debate in our party,” Emanuel told host Sean Hannity. “We haven’t had it for 20 years.”
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“There is a progressive and a pragmatic wing of the party. We’ll have a healthy debate. That’s what we should have,” he continued. “In the same way that the Romney and McCain wing of your party is leaving. They have walked away, and that’s what’s going to tell the story of 2026.”
Emanuels comments come as he joins a broader group of establishment Democrats navigating an evolving Democratic Party, where Democratic socialist figures have gained prominence alongside the partys more moderate tradition.
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