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White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt on Monday described the upcoming midterm elections as a choice “between communism and common sense” following a string of recent progressive wins in Democratic primaries.
“I know the president and many Americans are extremely concerned [about] how far left the Democrat party is moving,” Leavitt said in an interview with “Fox & Friends.”
“This is not your granddaddy’s Democrat party,” she continued. “These are communists. The president is trying to call them that. They want to abolish private prisons, they want to abolish the police, they want to abolish private property. These are radical, Marxist ideas that have never worked in the history of the world.”
“I think it’s a choice coming up between communism and common sense. That’s how the president views it,” she said.
The press secretary’s comments come after three leftist candidates supported by New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani (D) won congressional primaries in New York last Tuesday, with two candidates beating establishment-backed incumbents.
Community organizer Darializa Avila Chevalier defeated Congressional Hispanic Caucus Chair Adriano Espaillat (D-N.Y.) in the 13th District. New York Assembly member Claire Valdez won the primary for the seat being vacated by retiring Rep. Nydia Velázquez (D-N.Y.) in the 7th District.
Former New York City Comptroller Brad Lander, who is not a democratic socialist but had Mamdani’s backing, toppled Rep. Dan Goldman (D-N.Y.) in the 10th District.
And in this week’s primary in Colorado, incumbent Rep. Diana DeGette (D) is facing a competitive primary challenge from progressive Melat Kiros in the state’s 1st Congressional District.
Other candidates affiliated with the Democratic Socialists of America have emerged in local elections in cities across the country, including in Los Angeles, Seattle and Washington, D.C.
President Trump recently highlighted progressive candidates popping up across the country, previewing what is set to be a part of his midterm messaging.
“The Democrat party is in big trouble because this isn’t stopping with New York,” the president said late last week, speaking at the Faith and Freedom Coalition’s annual policy conference in Washington.
“It’s too easy to get elected, giving everything away,” he continued. “It’s easy for them to get followers because they make promises they know they can’t keep.”
Add as preferred source on Google Tags Adriano Espaillat Daniel Goldman Diana DeGette Karoline Leavitt Nydia Velazquez Zohran MamdaniCopyright 2026 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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