Former DNC Chair Jaime Harrison, who led the party from 2021 to 2025, made a pathetic plea to the DSA and its candidates after they swept three congressional districts in New York City Tuesday night.
This is what happens when a party refuses to enforce its own ideological boundaries or draw a line when the progressive left keeps moving it. Democrats played nice with their socialist allies, only to discover that those allies are now trying to stage a revolution from within and consume the party from the inside.
It also proves a larger point: real political change comes from taking over one of the major parties, not starting from scratch. This is the Democratic Party’s version of Trump, a DSA takeover.
"I say this with no ill will or animosity: if you hate the Democratic Party, then please don’t run for our nomination. Don’t use our resources. Don’t rely on our volunteers. Don’t use our infrastructure. Don’t ask Democrats to invest their time, money, and energy in your campaign," Harrison wrote. "Focus on building the party you actually support. Political parties aren’t perfect, but they’re built by millions of people who knock doors, make calls, organize meetings, and fight for the values they believe in."
"If you don’t believe in the party, then don’t ask its members to carry you across the finish line."
I say this with no ill will or animosity: if you hate the Democratic Party, then please don’t run for our nomination.
— Jaime Harrison (@harrisonjaime) June 23, 2026
Don’t use our resources. Don’t rely on our volunteers. Don’t use our infrastructure. Don’t ask Democrats to invest their time, money, and energy in your…
Then came the more glaring problem when Harrison tried to clarify his statement. He said he was comfortable with a broad definition of what it means to be a Democrat, but in the process showed he was unwilling to draw the line needed to preserve the old party’s boundaries.
"And let me be clear: I don’t care if you’re progressive, moderate, or conservative. I’ve worked with Democrats across the ideological spectrum. We didn’t always agree, but we understood that building a stronger Democratic Party was part of the job," he wrote. "If you hate the party, spend your days attacking it, and have contempt for all the people who make it possible, then see above."
And let me be clear: I don’t care if you’re progressive, moderate, or conservative.
— Jaime Harrison (@harrisonjaime) June 24, 2026
I’ve worked with Democrats across the ideological spectrum. We didn’t always agree, but we understood that building a stronger Democratic Party was part of the job.
If you hate the party, spend…
Now Americans get to watch and see who emerges victorious, and it’s hard to ignore the fact that the momentum appears to be with the socialists.