Vulnerable House Democrats Fear Far-Left Label

As the Democratic party embraces its far-left flank, House Democrats in swing districts are desperately trying to distance themselves from extreme progressives like AOC and Ilhan Omar. Today, Politico detailed the Democrats’ dilemma:

“[M]any of the endangered Democrats already see their outspoken colleagues as a potential obstacle standing between them and reelection in 2020.”

“‘As we run up to this presidential [election], we need to show that Democrats, as a whole, are not socialists,’ said Rep. Katie Hill, who last November flipped a Southern California district that Republicans held for the previous quarter-century.”

However, Rep. Hill has no problem cozying up to the same socialists she wants to distance herself from:

She also supports their extreme policy proposals such as Medicare for All.

Rep. Harley Rouda also doesn’t want to be lumped in with his far-left colleagues:

“’I’d like to think that the Republican Party is not run by a bunch of folks that subscribe to be nationalists, like Steve King does,’ added Rep. Harley Rouda (D-Calif.), who defeated then-Rep. Dana Rohrabacher in Orange County, the Reagan-era GOP stronghold. ‘So while Steve King’s views don’t represent the entire Republican Party, those on the far left of the Democratic Party do not represent the mainstream caucus.’”

Yet, Rouda is supportive of single-payer Medicare for All too. These endangered freshmen might talk a tough game when it comes to being a moderate, but they are eager to jump on board with the progressive policies that the far-left of their party is pushing.