WASHINGTON — U.S. Representative Suzan DelBene (D-WA01), chair of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC), said in a June 29, 2026, interview on the Noosphere platform with former NBC News anchor Chuck Todd that the Democratic Party’s “big tent” includes candidates backed by the Democratic Socialists of America.
DelBene stated her priority is ensuring the Democratic party secures a House majority.
“I wanna make sure that our big tent is a tent that is in the majority and that we have the gavels,” she told Todd.
When asked if socialists are welcome, she replied, “Those are folks who are being elected, and they’re gonna come and join the caucus…. and my job, our job, is to make sure we have those gavels so we can actually do the work of the American people.”
Later that same evening, U.S. Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-WA07), former chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus and ranking member of the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Immigration Integrity, Security, and Enforcement, made similar comments on CNN’s “The Source” with anchor Kaitlan Collins (FULL TRANSCRIPT).
“We’re always told as progressives that we’re a big tent party. That there has to be room for people that don’t agree with progressives 100% of the time. That’s gotta be true the other way,” Jayapal said. “If we are a big tent party, we have to have both sides of the big tent included.”
The Democratic Socialists of America, the largest socialist organization in the United States, outlines its platform on its website as a direct challenge to capitalism.
“Capitalism is a system designed by the owning class to exploit the rest of us for their own profit. We must replace it with democratic socialism, a system where ordinary people have a real voice in our workplaces, neighborhoods, and society,” the site states.
It continued: “We want to collectively own the key economic drivers that dominate our lives, such as energy production and transportation. We want the multiracial working class united in solidarity instead of divided by fear. We want to win ‘radical’ reforms like single-payer Medicare for All, defunding the police/refunding communities, the Green New Deal, and more as a transition to a freer, more just life.”
The group passed 120,000 members on July 5, 2026. It operates 228 chapters and organizing committees across 48 states as of July 2026, with 11 chapters active in Washington state.
In response to the growing visibility of democratic socialists within Democratic primaries and elections, only 10 current Democratic House members signed onto a new centrist initiative called “Promise to America.” The pledge explicitly declares, “We are capitalist, not socialist,” and calls for secure borders, fiscal responsibility, and national pride
The 10 signers are: Rep. Tom Suozzi (D-NY), Rep. Adam Gray (D-CA), Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ), Rep. Susie Lee (D-NV), Rep. Don Davis (D-NC), Rep. Vicente Gonzalez Jr. (D-TX), Rep. Laura Gillen (D-NY), Rep. Janelle Bynum (D-OR), Rep. Kristin McDonald Rivet (D-MI), and Rep. Maggie Goodlander (D-NH).
The Lynnwood Times has not received a response from DelBene’s office to a request for clarification on her remarks.
Author: Mario Lotmore
