ANALYSIS
The House of Representatives condemns 'socialism in all its forms' with 192 Democrats voting against it
Eight Democratic lawmakers sided with Republicans to pass the resolution. The resolution has no legal effect, but conservative leaders have presented it as a campaign tool for the midterms, at a time when candidates linked to the socialist left have won several Democratic primaries and threaten to unseat more moderate incumbents.
Mike Johnson in Doral, Florida / Saul Loeb
On Tuesday, the House of Representatives passed a nonbinding resolution condemning "socialism in all its forms," explicitly mentioning the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA), and endorses the SAVE Act, in a symbolic vote just weeks before the midterms.
The measure passed by a vote of 220-192 with two abstentions. It was supported by all Republicans present and only eight Democrats. Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, Majority Whip Katherine Clark and Caucus Chair Pete Aguilar voted against it.
Who are the eight Democrats who voted to condemn socialism?
In the final vote on the resolution, the eight Democrats who supported the measure were: Kathy Castor (Fla.), Henry Cuellar (Texas), Don Davis (N.C.), Vicente Gonzalez (Texas), Jared Golden (Maine), Marie Gluesenkamp Perez (Wash.), Darren Soto (Fla.) and Gabe Vasquez (N.M.). Two other representatives, Chrissy Houlahan (Pa.) and Maggie Goodlander (N.H.), abstained by voting "present," and the rest of the Democratic caucus voted against it, including the three top minority leaders.
Republican Jeff Crank of Colorado, the sponsor of the resolution, explained to Fox News Digital: "The resolution is pretty straightforward, right? It condemns socialism in all its forms, including the DSA, reaffirms our commitment to the U.S. Constitution… and a third point is that we don't want non-citizens to vote in elections."
In his view, the text highlights each lawmaker's stance. "Of course they can be critical, but it's simply a quick way for the American people to see where each one stands on these issues," Crank said.
Two moderate Democrats save the Republican agenda
The final vote would not have been possible without a prior shift in a key procedural step, known as a "rule vote," which unlocks floor debate on several bills that Republican leaders wanted to bring to the floor.
Five conservative Republicans voted against that rule in protest of their leaders' handling of a deal to avert a government shutdown, and the motion was on the verge of failing in a technical tie, which, according to House rules, amounts to a rejection.
At that moment, two moderate Democrats, Jared Golden (Maine) and Marie Gluesenkamp Perez (Wash.), broke with their caucus's discipline and voted with the Republican majority to pass the rule by a 210-208 margin, allowing the week's agenda, including the anti-socialism resolution, to come to a vote.
Jeffries accuses Golden and Perez of "betraying the trust" of the caucus
The Democratic leadership reacted harshly. Jeffries, Clark, and Aguilar issued a joint statement describing Golden and Gluesenkamp Perez's decision as "a significant breach of trust" for having "taken the entire caucus by surprise" and joining the Republican majority to pass a procedural rule that was on the verge of failing.
The leaders announced that they had asked the Caucus Rules Committee to examine the matter "shortly" and did not rule out internal sanctions, although Jeffries told the press that the possible repercussions were "under discussion."
The resolution has no legal effect, but Republican leaders have presented it as a campaign tool for the November legislative elections, at a time when candidates linked to the socialist left have won several Democratic primaries and threaten to unseat more moderate incumbents.
A resolution condemning socialism and calling for stricter election controls
The document begins with a series of assertions about the risks of socialism: it maintains that this ideology tends to lead to totalitarian regimes, cites more than 100 million deaths in the 20th century, and denounces the rise of candidates linked to the Democratic Socialists of America since the 2025 New York City mayoral election.
The resolution accuses the DSA of advocating principles incompatible with the Constitution, such as allowing non-citizens and prisoners to vote, abolishing the Senate, or changing the two-party system, and includes a statement attributed to the organization in which it asserts that "the United States has never been a democracy."
On that basis, the House declares that it condemns and denounces socialism and the DSA, reaffirms its support for "free, fair and secure" elections, reiterates that only citizens should vote, and pledges to defend the Constitution. But the text goes a step further: it links that condemnation to the fight against non-citizen voting and explicitly calls for passage of the SAVE America Act, the Republican bill that requires proof of citizenship, photo ID and database checks to vote.
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