Dem Rep. Ivey on DSA Candidates: Have to Have Them Get Elected and 'Actually See What They Stand For'

On Wednesday’s broadcast of NewsNation’s “The Hill,” Rep. Glenn Ivey (D-MD) responded to a question on his opinion on the rise of the DSA by saying that “we’ve got to have them get to D.C. and actually see what they stand for and what they want to do when they’re working with us in the Democratic Caucus.” And while there are some crazy ideas from the DSA, the candidates he’s “seen so far are on the affordability message and focused on the things that voters really care about.” Ivey said, “I think it’s going to be interesting to see, like, what part of DSA these guys actually are. So, I think we’ve got to have them get to D.C. and actually see what they stand for and what they want to do when they’re working with us in the Democratic Caucus. I think that they’re — people, especially those who have already been state legislators, they sound like they’re focused on affordability, making sure that we can help people put food on the table, pay for gas, get healthcare coverage, the things that House Democrats are already focused on. But you’ve got the other part of it out there, too. I saw the president of the DSA talking about eliminating prisons and eliminating the Senate and I just think that’s kind of nutty stuff that, really, I’m not going to support, and I don’t think any voters anywhere will.” Host Blake Burman then cut in to ask, “Do you not take them at their word? Like, I hear you saying, we’ve got to see what happens when they get to Washington. But it kind of sounds a lot like Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), we’ve got to pass the bill to see what’s in it. This is what they’re campaigning on. Do you not take them at their word?” Ivey replied, “No, that’s not what they’re campaigning on. I don’t know that I’ve seen any candidates campaign on that. The craziest one I saw was the candidate for governor in Wisconsin who wanted to get rid of Thanksgiving, and she lost in the primary. So, the ones that I’ve seen so far are on the affordability message and focused on the things that voters really care about.” Follow Ian Hanchett on Twitter @IanHanchett