Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) raised the alarm about progressives similar to New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani “popping up” in elections across the country as more left-leaning candidates gain momentum within the Democratic Party.
Johnson cautioned against the shift in an interview with Fox News released Wednesday, saying it is something that has “never [been] seen before in American history.”
“The way I describe it in summary is there are mini Mamdanis popping up all around the country,” Johnson said. “They’re openly about socialist, Marxist ideology.”
The speaker’s comments come as more progressive candidates across the country either win their primaries or gain more national attention, including Senate candidates Graham Platner in Maine and Abdul el Sayed in Michigan.
Johnson pushed back on critics who equate Democrats becoming more progressive with Republicans starting the Tea Party after former President Barack Obama was elected, arguing the change in the GOP was about “fiscal responsibility.”
“The Tea Party reset in the Republican Party was about fiscal responsibility,” Johnson said. “This is about moving away from a constitutional republic to a communist utopian ideology.”
“It’s a dangerous thing for the future of the country,” he added.
Mamdani’s election signaled a shift within the party, as the mayor ran a campaign as a self-described “Democratic socialist” touting progressive policies and earning endorsements from more left-leaning politicians, including Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY).
The results of the New York City mayoral election further exemplified this, with the results indicating a changing of the guard within the Democratic Party from moderates to progressives.
Mamdani earned 50.8% of the vote, with moderate-turned-independent Andrew Cuomo — New York’s former governor — trailing behind with 41.3% and Republican Curtis Sliwa coming in third with 7%, according to CNN.
Since Mamdani was elected, more progressives across the country have felt encouraged to enter politics.
W. JAMES ANTLE: THE COMING PROGRESSIVE TEA PARTY
But Johnson warned against this shift, saying Democrats are moving too far left and going unchecked.
“The problem we have is the insurgent Left; the far Left has all the energy, excitement, and money in the Democratic Party,” he said. “This is not our father’s Democratic Party anymore. They are going far, far left, and no one is there to stop it, and that is a dangerous thing for the future of the country.”