Former GOP Congressman-Turned-Democrat Says the Democratic Party ‘Should Be Big Enough For Mamdani and Me’

AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster

Former Republican congressman Joe Walsh argued on Thursday that the Democratic Party “should be big enough” for both himself and New York City Democratic mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani.

Responding to former Democratic congressman Dean Phillips’ claim on CNN that there was no room in the party for “socialists” like Mamdani, Walsh disagreed, arguing that the party should serve as a big tent.

“Respectfully @deanbphillips, I disagree,” wrote Walsh on social media. “As a guy who’s been a Democrat for only a month, a guy who’s a conservative Democrat, I disagree. The tent should be big enough for Mamdani and me. Right now, the tent must include all who believe in freedom, democracy & the rule of law.”

Asked on CNN, Wednesday, whether there was room in the Democratic Party for people like Mamdani alongside more centrist politicians, Phillips replied, “The answer, ultimately, I think is no.”

“When you have socialists in the Democratic Party, I don’t know how anybody could argue that that would be beneficial for the party or for the country,” he added.

Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA) made similar comments on Thursday, arguing that Mamdani was “not even a Democrat” due to his socialist policies.

“I mean, look, he’s not. He says he’s a Democratic Socialist, and that’s how he should run,” said Fetterman on Fox News. “And that’s what Democrats around the country should point out.”

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