by Wayne Besen • July 11, 2026 • Opinion, Politics, Weekly Column • Comments (0) • 101

Democratic Party Must Ban DSA Candidates from Primaries

End Socialist Insurgency to Hijack or Destroy Democratic Party

End Socialist Insurgency to Hijack or Destroy Democratic Party

One of the primary arguments the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) routinely make against the Democratic Party is that they are spineless and feckless. Democratic leaders should respond with strength by prohibiting DSA members from running in future Democratic primaries. Change the rules now, before socialists can enact their devious plan to rule the Party.

Daniel Moraff is one half of the DSA duo, along with Leanne Fan, who is responsible for selecting Graham Platner as a U.S. Senate candidate. Platner quit the race this week after a credible rape allegation made by a Democratic woman.

Moraff made it crystal clear that his goal is to use subterfuge to destroy the Democratic Party, so why let him?

“We can adopt a strategy that takes advantage of the low barrier to entry of the Democratic primary, and use those victories to build our own forces — forces that, once strong enough, could plausibly break from the party. Let’s choose that strategy, and start electing socialists.”

Moraff wrote this deceptive strategy in a now-deleted 2017 essay published in the magazine In These Times, which was titled, “Want to Elect Socialists? Run Them in Democratic Primaries.”

Democrats need to wise up and realize that DSA is an insurgency. The Party is under siege by a socialist organization that is not acting in good faith. Country Club Republicans similarly ignored radicals within their own Party and the results have been devastating. Mainstream Republicans first buried their heads in the sand in 1980 by opening the tent to the Religious Right. Then they stupidly welcomed insane the Tea Party and finally opened the door to MAGA. and now the GOP has been destroyed, overrun with radicalized extremists.

How’d that work out for non-crazy Republicans? They are now politically homeless, having quit the Republican Party or been unceremoniously purged. Do normie Democrats want to suffer the same fate?