Republican strategist Karl Rove said Tuesday that far-left mayoral candidates will make it harder for Democrats to gain ground.
“The more that we get people like this representing the face of the Democratic Party, the harder it is to win back voters in the middle of American politics,” Rove said on Fox News’s “America’s Newsroom” in a clip highlighted by Mediaite, speaking about Minnesota state Sen. Omar Fateh (D).
Fateh, a self-described democratic socialist, recently earned the Minneapolis DFL’s endorsement for the city’s mayoral race. His clinching of the endorsement comes alongside another progressive candidate and democratic socialist, Zohran Mamdani, winning last month’s Democratic Party primary for New York City mayor.
“I am incredibly honored to be the DFL endorsed candidate for Minneapolis Mayor. This endorsement is a message that Minneapolis residents are done with broken promises, vetoes, and politics as usual. It’s a mandate to build a city that works for all of us,” Fateh said in a post on the social platform X on July 19.
Fateh’s and Mamdani’s success comes as there are heated debates within the Democratic Party about how to move forward in the wake of the 2024 elections, when Democrats lost their chances at power in the House, Senate and White House.
“The more left-wing the center of these big cities become, the more difficult it is for Democrats to win votes that, you know, they’re going to be driving away votes, not only in rural America, suburban America, but they’re also going to be driving away votes in urban America,” Rove said Tuesday.
Rep. Laura Gillen (D-N.Y.) distanced herself from Mamdani last month, saying he was “the wrong choice for New York.”
“Socialist Zohran Mamdani is too extreme to lead New York City,” Gillen said in a statement. “His entire campaign has been built on unachievable promises and higher taxes, which is the last thing New York needs.”
Akhilesh Menawat, a co-campaign manager for Fateh, said in a statement to The Hill that “Karl Rove and Fox News don’t decide who leads Minneapolis; the people who live and work here do.”
“Senator Omar Fateh has built the broadest coalition in this race because he delivers. He’s passed tuition-free college and fair wages for rideshare drivers with bipartisan support,” he added. “That’s not extreme, that’s exactly the leadership Minneapolis deserves.”
Updated at 5:55 p.m. EDT