- Jun 9, 2025
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The Democratic Party is shifting rapidly, and the socialist wing is gaining ground in deeply liberal districts across the country. Candidates aligned with that faction have been unseating longtime Democratic incumbents, pulling the party further to the left with each cycle.
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is widely considered a founding figure of the modern democratic socialist movement in American politics. Back in 2018, she shocked the political world by defeating longtime Democratic Rep. Joe Crowley in a primary. That victory helped inspire a wave of like-minded candidates, including Rashida Tlaib, Ilhan Omar, and Ayanna Pressley, who together formed what became known as the Squad in Congress.
You might assume that AOC would remain a beloved figure within that movement forever. But as USA Journal reported, that is no longer the case. Socialists in America have grown bolder following a recent electoral victory in New York City, and their crosshairs are now aimed not just at moderate Democrats but at AOC herself.
The core issue? AOC has publicly thrown her support behind House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, even as the Democratic Socialists of America work to challenge his grip on leadership. On top of that, she has avoided endorsing any challenger to a sitting Democratic incumbent over the past two election cycles.
Cenk Uygur, who founded the left-leaning Young Turks media outlet, took to X to express his frustration. He pointed out that AOC has not backed a single primary challenger to a Democratic incumbent in two consecutive cycles and is enthusiastically supporting Jeffries for Speaker should Democrats retake the House. Uygur wrote that this was the "exact opposite" of what her early supporters had been working toward.
Hasan Piker, who is Uygur's nephew and a rising voice on the socialist left, piled on over the weekend. He criticized AOC for being too cautious in her role as a congresswoman, saying she "plays it maybe too safe" given the current political moment. Piker also noted that while he has similar concerns about Zohran Mamdani, he at least sees what he called an "immediate return on investment" from Mamdani's approach.
Piker went further, attacking Jeffries specifically and describing the House Minority Leader as one of the strongest supporters of Israel currently serving in Congress.
The broader takeaway here is striking. If the person widely seen as the mother of today's democratic socialist movement is no longer considered progressive enough by that very movement, it reveals just how far left the faction is willing to push. The goalposts keep moving, and even those who helped set them up in the first place are now being left behind.
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