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Veteran Democratic strategist James Carville said the Democratic Party faces an ideological “reckoning” in 2028 but rejected the idea that primary voters will choose a Democratic socialist presidential nominee.
Speaking on “Saturday in America,” Carville offered his prediction for how Democratic voters will approach the party’s 2028 presidential primary.
“The reckoning will be in a nominating process for the nominee of the Democratic Party in 2028. This has to be taken to Democratic voters,” Carville said while discussing recent victories by candidates backed by the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA).
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James Carville attends The New York Times DealBook Summit 2025 at Jazz at Lincoln Center on Dec. 3, 2025, in New York City. (David Dee Delgado/Getty Images for The New York Times)
As DSA-backed candidates have won races across the country, some centrist Democrats have raised concerns about the group’s growing influence. Carville argued that Democratic voters won’t nominate a DSA-aligned presidential candidate in 2028.
“Let me assure you that Democratic voters are not going to nominate the DSA or anybody close to the DSA. The Democrats have never nominated the most liberal candidate, and they’re not [going to] do it in 2028,” he said.
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Despite Carville’s prediction about 2028, several DSA-backed candidates have secured primary victories this year, with notable wins in New York and Colorado. High-profile elected officials, including New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, are also affiliated with the group.
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., gestures before speaking at the Democratic National Convention (DNC) in Chicago, Illinois, U.S., Aug. 19, 2024. (REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque)
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., recently renewed her DSA membership following a seven-year lapse and has been discussed as a potential 2028 presidential contender.
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“First of all, she has more talent than most of the people on the left put together. And I put her in an entirely different category,” Carville said of Ocasio-Cortez.
“She’s a very talented, very articulate person,” he said, adding that the DSA is going to “run somebody for president in 2028, and they’re not going to get out of the first two primaries.”
Carville said the party will “move forward” but concluded that the DSA is a “minor part of the Democratic coalition.”
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Then-New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani, center, celebrates with Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., left, and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., right, during an election rally at Forest Hills Stadium in Queens on Oct. 26. (Andres Kudacki/Getty Images)
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The DSA confirmed Ocasio-Cortez’s renewed membership in a statement shared with City & State New York.
“Democratic Socialists of America confirms Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is a member in good standing of our organization, having recently rejoined in August 2026,” the DSA wrote.
Fox News Digital reached out to the DSA for comment but did not immediately hear back.
