In the past, Democrats rarely felt the need to explain their position on capitalism. They could campaign on fixing a rigged economy, reducing corporate power, or raising taxes on the rich without feeling compelled to affirm their belief in the economic system itself.This election cycle is different. Abdul El-Sayed, his fellow Senate candidate in Michigan told TIME in May, who then praised the efficiency of capitalism to “allocate resources.” The two Democrats are among the most prominent examples of candidates in tight races making their support of capitalism crystal clear amid the growing visibility of the Democratic Socialists of America and a string of victories by candidates on the party’s left.
Republicans in races across the country—and at the White House—have pointed to those trends as they increasingly embrace “socialist” and “communist” as catch-all attacks against all Democrats. Read more: How James Talarico Made Texas Competitive Again The defensive pose from Democrats is a broader trend than just a few Senate races: Sixty Democrats, including 10 sitting members of Congress, signed a pledge this summer from the newly formed Promise to America declaring, “We are capitalist, not socialist.” The collective was organized by centrist Democratic Reps. Tom Suozzi of New York and Adam Gray of California, the only two Democrats in 2024 to flip congressional districts won by President Donald Trump.
But not every Democrat facing the socialist label has gone so far as to embrace capitalism. In Maine, Troy Jackson, a former state Senator with ties to Bernie Sanders, replaced Graham Platner as the party’s Senate nominee in July with the support of the DSA. When asked by TIME whether Jackson views himself as a capitalist, Jackson’s campaign declined to answer but pointed to his past comments on socialism.
What he did support, he said, was “a government that works for everyday people, small business owners, workers” and others who depend on the government to work for them. Jackson's approach illustrates the broader ambiguity Republicans are exploiting. A Democrat can campaign against concentrated wealth, corporate influence and economic inequality without necessarily rejecting capitalism, just as a Democrat can support universal health care or stronger labor protections without identifying as a socialist.
Vance sharpened the Republican attack in Florida last week, accusing Democratic Senate candidate Angie Nixon of embracing socialism and not belonging in the country because of those views. The remarks came as Vance campaigned alongside Republican Sen. Ashley Moody, who is fighting to keep the seat she was appointed to when Marco Rubio became Secretary of State, and offered a blunt version of the argument Republicans have been making against Democrats around the country.
You don’t belong in America if those are your views,’” Vance said. Nixon presents a more complicated case than many of the Democrats facing the socialist label. The Florida state representative has been an unabashed progressive throughout her decade in state politics and joined the Democratic Socialists of America in June.
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