Growing Socialist Influence Raises Questions About Democratic Party’s Future

The growing influence of Democratic Socialists within New York politics is setting the stage for what Assemblyman Mike Fitzpatrick believes will be one of the defining political battles of the coming election cycle, with the future direction of the Democratic Party—and the policies it pursues in Albany—hanging in the balance.

Fitzpatrick, a Long Island Republican, said he expects the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) to expand their presence in the State Legislature following this year’s elections, increasing pressure on Democratic leaders, including Gov. Kathy Hochul and Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie.

“I think they’re going to be 16 DSA members in the Democratic Party conference next year,” Fitzpatrick said. “That’s a much bigger number than last session, and they’re going to push very hard for their agenda. They’re going to put a lot of pressure on the speaker and the governor.”

While the makeup of the next Legislature will not be known until after the November elections, Fitzpatrick argued the ideological shift within the Democratic Party is already evident.

“This midterm election is so critically important,” he said. “Every cycle, the importance of these elections keeps getting greater and greater with this rise of democratic socialists.”

Fitzpatrick said moderate Democrats are increasingly finding themselves caught between their traditional political positions and a party base he believes is moving further to the left.

“You’ve got Long Island legislators such as senators Steve Stern and Monica Martinez, who are not crazy lefties, but they’re getting tremendous pressure from the base of that party to move farther and farther left,” he said. “It’s going to be an interesting campaign this fall.”

Although the legislative agenda for next year has yet to be introduced, Fitzpatrick predicted Democratic Socialists would advocate for policies including higher taxes, expanded government spending, defund the police, and a larger public role in health care.

“We know they want to increase taxes, increase government spending. They want Medicare for All. They want socialized medicine in New York State,” he said. “You’re going to further damage the business climate.”

Fitzpatrick argued that higher taxes would encourage businesses and higher-income residents to relocate to lower-tax states, weakening New York’s economy.

To support his criticism of socialism, Fitzpatrick cited Nobel Prize-winning economist Friedrich Hayek.

“‘If socialists understood economics, they wouldn’t be socialists,’” he said, quoting Hayek. “You need to have a healthy private sector in order to have a public sector. A socialist economy has never produced enough wealth to meet the needs of its people.”

He also referenced former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher’s well-known observation that “the problem with socialism is that you eventually run out of other people’s money.”

Fitzpatrick acknowledged that many Democratic officeholders today do not identify as democratic socialists but questioned whether moderate voices within the party are doing enough to resist what he described as its ideological shift.

“There’s a fight for the soul of the Democratic Party, and the socialists are winning,” he said.

He pointed to the election of Democratic Socialist Zohran Mamdani as New York mayor and the primary defeat of moderate Democrats for assembly, senate and Congressional seats as evidence that the movement is gaining momentum, arguing that its influence extends beyond municipal politics.

“This socialist takeover of the Democratic Party is, to me, the big story going into this year’s election,” Fitzpatrick said. “People need to understand what the party has become and what it portends for the future.”

Fitzpatrick said voters should carefully evaluate where candidates stand before heading to the polls this fall.

“I just hope enough people are paying attention,” he said. “People who don’t want to live under a socialist style of government need to get out and vote. There’s no excuse to sit home and not vote this year.”