The rise of socialist candidates across the United States has reignited a long-running debate over how far left the Democratic Party has shifted, with political veterans from both parties telling Fox News Digital the movement’s success is the product of decades of ideological change that started with cultural institutions.

Decades-Long Campaign to Subvert American Thought

According to New York City Republican Councilwoman Inna Vernikov, who grew up in Soviet Ukraine, the campaign to subvert American thought and way of life began decades ago. Vernikov stated that the rise of socialist candidates like New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani is not a grassroots movement, but rather the effect of decades-long campaigns to undermine America and the West.

Mike Gonzalez, a senior fellow at the Heritage Foundation, pointed to the ‘long march through the institutions’ where the ‘cultural left took over the K-12 school system, higher education, art houses, media, entertainment, and museums.’ Gonzalez argued that this has led to the mainstreaming of once-fringe ideas like ‘America is systematically racist’ and ‘capitalism is evil.’

Consequences for the Country’s Future

As concerns about the growth of socialism and communism grow, the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) is adopting and rolling out an updated platform that cuts at the heart of what many conservatives view as America’s constitutional framework and public-safety system. The platform includes calls to abolish the U.S. Senate, replace the Electoral College, defund police departments, and abolish prisons.

Veteran Democratic strategist Hank Sheinkopf told Fox News Digital that the political divide in the United States now essentially boils down to two groups: those who love the country and those who don’t. Sheinkopf argued that Democrats need to engage in real partisanship and focus less on President Donald Trump and more on engaging with ‘programmatic arguments’ on substantive issues.

Original reporting: Fox News (HLL/CB) — read the source article.