By admin 
PHOENIX (AZFamily) — Democratic socialists have been winning elections across the country — in New York, in Colorado, and now in the Valley. The question Arizona Democrats are wrestling with: is that a feature or a bug?
Read more Pocket Fire could take months to fully contain, officials say
State Sen. Analise Ortiz addressed the trend directly during an appearance on Politics Unplugged, hosted by political editor Dennis Welch.
Welch noted the national pattern.
“A lot of attention was given to some democratic socialists who won seats in New York, and people will say, well, that’s New York. It’s a long way away from here. We also saw the same thing happened in Colorado recently in a primary up there, and we’ve seen it here in Tempe. Tempe City Council elected a democratic socialist,” he said.
‘Policies over political labels’
Ortiz, who is endorsed by the Working Families Party, said the label matters less than the platform.
“People are choosing popular policies over political labels. And so you have candidates who identify as democratic socialists,” Ortiz said. “You have other candidates like myself, who are endorsed by the Working Families Party and a similar effort to create a true multiracial democracy fighting for the working class.”
She argued the policy ideas driving these wins are broadly popular.
“Working class solidarity, willing to say that this income inequality is unacceptable in the richest country in the world, and we need to do more to tax corporations and the rich so they pay their fair share, and so we can put that money towards our collective community needs like housing, healthcare, public schools. These are popular ideas,” Ortiz said.
Could it hurt Democrats?
Welch raised the concern that more progressive branding could be used against Democrats in competitive races.
Ortiz acknowledged the stakes but reframed the risk.
“The last thing we want to see is that Democrats get a majority in the Legislature for the first time in 60 years, and then we fail to deliver on policies that are actually going to make a meaningful difference in people’s lives,” Ortiz said. “If we do that, then we won’t have a majority for very long.”
Read more Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce are married in elaborate Madison Square Garden ceremony
She pointed to former Sen. Kyrsten Sinema as a cautionary tale from the other direction.
“What’s actually hurting Democrats are Democrats like Sinema, who get in there and make the same votes as Republicans and take the same corporate money as Republicans. Enough is enough,” Ortiz told Welch.
Watch Politics Unplugged
Politics Unplugged airs Sundays at 5:30 p.m. on 3TV or stream free on the Arizona’s Family + app. Download here
Follow the Politics Unplugged podcast here, available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, and Amazon Music.
See a spelling or grammatical error in our story? Please click here to report it.
Do you have a photo or video of a breaking news story? Send it to us here with a brief description.
Read more Bicyclist killed in central Phoenix pickup truck crash