A Republican memo counts at least 65 socialist-backed candidates running for state legislatures in 24 states, and several of them want to defund or end police departments.
Story Highlights
- In a memo first reported Saturday, Oct. 10, the Republican State Leadership Committee (RSLC) counted at least 65 candidates aligned with the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) on the ballot for state legislative seats in 24 states.
- The RSLC works to elect Republicans to state legislatures. The DSA is a national left-wing group, and the memo counts its members, the candidates it endorses and those who call themselves members.
- The memo warns that statehouses are where socialists build the experience, donors and networks to run for Congress next.
- New York state Sen. Jabari Brisport, one of the candidates named, has pledged to “end policing and incarceration” in his state.
- The general election is Tuesday, Nov. 3.
Socialist-Backed Candidates On Ballots In 24 States
The RSLC wrote the memo to warn that the DSA’s “growing presence in statehouse races could have dangerous impacts for state policy in the short-term.” It found at least 65 DSA-aligned candidates who made it onto the Nov. 3 general-election ballot for state legislative seats in 24 states. “The RSLC has consistently said that socialism starts in the states and that is where we need to stop it,” the memo says.
Another count, by the Brookings Institution, a Washington research group, found at least 76 DSA-backed candidates in the general election, according to reports. The two counts differ because each group uses its own rules for who counts as DSA-aligned. Brookings also found that these candidates make up only a “tiny fraction” of the nation’s state legislative seats. But state lawmakers write crime laws, set state budgets and send money to cities and towns. Those votes decide whether police budgets rise or fall in a reader’s own community.
Police Funding On The Line
Several DSA-aligned candidates back defunding or abolishing police departments, according to reports. Brisport, a Democratic state senator in New York, says on his campaign site: “As a State Senator I will continue to do everything I can to end policing and incarceration in New York State.”
Ryan Clancy, a Democratic state representative in Wisconsin, has stood by his statement that police work has “no dignity or value.” In a 2023 interview he said, “It means that American policing has always been bad and it always will be.” Clancy told reporters he meant officers who abused their power. Eleanor Chávez, a DSA-backed state representative in New Mexico, called ICE, the federal immigration enforcement agency, “fascist” and compared its agents to the KKK.
Reparations And Utility Takeovers
Many DSA-backed candidates in New York, Minnesota and Massachusetts support reparations, which are government payments or programs meant to make up for past harm to racial minorities. Gabriel Acevero, a DSA-backed Maryland lawmaker, opposed a marijuana legalization measure because it did not address racial inequities. “Cannabis legalization without reparations for communities harmed by the intentional drug war is not progressive policy,” he said.
The agenda reaches into utility bills, too. New York Assemblywoman Sarahana Shrestha, who is running for re-election with DSA backing, has pushed a bill to let the state take over Central Hudson Gas & Electric, possibly through eminent domain, which is the government’s power to take private property for public use. She says such plans are “extremely popular with voters, and have been for a long time.” Dylan Wegela, a DSA-backed candidate for the Michigan state House, has also pushed for the state to take over utility companies.
From The Statehouse To Congress
The memo says “several prominent DSA-aligned Congressional candidates in 2026 have emerged from state and local political organizing.” It describes a path where state-level candidates gain experience and networks and then “eventually support campaigns for Congress.” The RSLC calls this “a clearly orchestrated long-term effort to build political power from the state-level up.”
Voters have taken notice. A national poll in September found that 55% of registered voters had an unfavorable view of the DSA. Republicans say the down-ballot races are where that long-term plan either takes root or gets stopped.
For readers who care about safe streets, steady taxes and accountable government, these races are close to home. State lawmakers can cut or boost police money, rewrite school standards and raise or lower taxes. President Trump’s administration sets the national direction, but statehouses shape daily life. On Tuesday, Nov. 3, a candidate’s platform is worth checking, not just the party label next to the name.
Sources:
foxnews.com, noticias.foxnews.com
