House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries pushed back Sunday on the Democratic Socialists of America’s agenda during an interview with NBC News host Kristen Welker, even as new polling suggests Democratic voters are increasingly favorable toward socialism.
On NBC’s Meet the Press, Welker asked Jeffries whether democratic socialists belong in the Democratic Party following a DSA convention held in Chicago from July 31 to Aug. 2, 2026, according to the Daily Caller News Foundation.
“Well, what I can say is that I do not support defunding the police. I do not support open borders. I do not support abolishing the Senate,” Jeffries replied.
Jeffries said House Democrats are focused on “solving problems” for taxpayers, particularly the high cost of living.
“That’s the Democratic agenda. That’s what House Democrats are fighting to achieve,” he said.
Jeffries Draws a Line — Then Leaves the Door Open
Welker followed up by asking whether there is “room” in the Democratic Party for democratic socialists.
“Well, listen, I don’t support the DSA agenda as has been articulated by the DSA itself,” Jeffries said.
He added that individual candidates who win Democratic primaries and general elections would become part of the House Democratic Caucus.
“It’s going to be a broad caucus,” Jeffries said. “There will be progressives. There will be New Dems. There will be Blue Dogs.”
Jeffries then pointed to Democratic candidates running in November and said he was focused on building a majority to oppose what he called “Donald Trump’s extremism,” while also emphasizing affordability and accountability.
Polling Shows Socialism Gaining Ground Among Democrats
The exchange came as a CBS News poll published Sunday found that 58% of Democrats have a positive view of socialism. Among Democrats with a college degree, the figure rose to 71%, according to CBS News.
CBS News Poll also reported that Democrats, unlike the public overall, viewed socialism more favorably than capitalism and tended to believe socialism would improve their personal finances.
Only 8% of Democrats surveyed said the Democratic Party is more progressive than they would prefer, according to the poll.
DSA-Tracked Candidates Continue Running
The Daily Caller News Foundation reported that, of 171 races being tracked by the Democratic Socialists of America, 62 DSA candidates had won and 54 had lost, while 55 were still running at the time of publication.
Neither Jeffries’ office nor the DSA immediately responded to the outlet’s request for comment, according to the report.
