Eight House Democrats joined Republicans on Tuesday in voting for a resolution condemning socialism, helping the measure pass the House in a 220-192 vote. The Politics & Poll Tracker account on X reported that the Democrats who voted in favor were Kathy Castor of Florida, Vicente Gonzalez and Henry Cuellar of Texas, Darren Soto of Florida, Jared Golden of Maine, Marie Gluesenkamp Perez of Washington, Don Davis of North Carolina and Gabe Vasquez of New Mexico. Two Democrats, Chrissy Houlahan of Pennsylvania and Maggie Goodlander of New Hampshire, voted "present" rather than for or against the measure.
One hundred ninety-two Democrats voted against the resolution. Representative Ro Khanna of California said in a post on X that he opposed the resolution because he believes democratic socialists are fighting for policies such as taxing billionaires, Medicare for All and avoiding foreign wars. He argued that Franklin D.
Roosevelt built the New Deal coalition by uniting labor, farmers, business leaders, public intellectuals, Southern Democrats and even people who identified as "socialists" around the idea that concentrated wealth had failed the country. Khanna said Democrats need a similar coalition today, adding: "We need a New Deal Coalition for our time." The House Rules Committee first approved H.Res. 1490, a measure introduced by Republican Representative Jeff Crank of Colorado, after a hearing that featured debate over the resolution's language and purpose. Republicans argued that the resolution was necessary to condemn socialist ideology and distinguish mainstream lawmakers from political movements that advocate sweeping changes to the American economic and political system.
Democrats on the committee on Monday, meanwhile, criticized the effort as a political messaging exercise as none voted in favor of advancing the measure. The resolution comes amid renewed Republican efforts to highlight the growing visibility of self-described democratic socialists and members affiliated with or supported by the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA). Republicans have pointed to recent electoral victories by socialist candidates and have argued that voters deserve to know where elected officials stand on socialism as a governing philosophy.
The measure includes a series of findings criticizing socialist governments around the world and arguing that socialism has historically been associated with economic decline, authoritarianism and political repression. It also references positions taken by the DSA and contends that socialism is incompatible with the values embodied in the U.S. The committee vote was one of the first opportunities for Democrats to publicly take a position on the resolution before it reaches the House floor.
Republicans have sought to frame support for the measure as a rejection of socialism, while opponents argue the resolution is designed primarily to create campaign talking points rather than address pressing policy concerns. Some Democrats have long criticized socialism and democratic socialism, while others have distinguished democratic socialism from the authoritarian systems cited in Republican resolutions. The differing views have made votes on the issue politically sensitive, particularly in swing districts where Republicans frequently attack Democratic candidates as socialists.
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