On June 23, 2026, New York Democrats held their congressional primaries.

A primary is the election in which members of a political party choose their own candidates for the general election. In heavily Democratic parts of New York City, winning the primary can be almost the same as winning the congressional seat itself.

And this time, the results made moderate Democrats across the country very nervous.

Three candidates backed by New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani and the party’s socialist wing won important congressional races.

Brad Lander defeated incumbent Congressman Dan Goldman.

Darializa Avila Chevalier defeated longtime Congressman Adriano Espaillat, the chairman of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus.

Claire Valdez won the Democratic nomination for an open congressional seat.

In other words, the socialist wing was no longer standing outside the Democratic Party holding signs.

It had entered the building, defeated senior Democrats, taken their chairs and asked for the Wi-Fi password.

A few days later, a group of moderate Democrats led by Representatives Tom Suozzi of New York and Adam Gray of California unveiled a document called the Promise to America.

Its most memorable line was:

“We are capitalists, not socialists.”

That is certainly reassuring.

It is also the kind of statement that creates more questions than it answers.

Imagine boarding an airplane and hearing the captain announce:

“Ladies and gentlemen, before takeoff, I would like to confirm that I still believe in wings.”

Nobody was worried until he said it.

The document also declared:

“We want safety, not lawlessness.”

Again, useful clarification.

Apparently, somewhere inside the Democratic Party, lawlessness had remained on the table as a possible policy option.

The moderates also promised secure borders, responsible government spending, effective government and pride in America.

In other words, they produced a platform that sounds remarkably similar to what Republicans have been saying for years — except it was signed by Democrats who would very much prefer that nobody mention the resemblance.

The reason for their sudden urgency was simple.

The congressional elections were approaching, and moderate Democrats in competitive districts knew what Republican campaign ads would look like:

“Vote for your local Democrat, receive New York socialism at no additional charge.”

Then the story became even more uncomfortable.

After Darializa Avila Chevalier won her primary, reporters revisited old social media posts in which she had called for abolishing the police, attacked Joe Biden and made disturbing comments about interracial relationships.

That was too much for James Carville.

Carville is not a Republican commentator. He is one of the best-known Democratic strategists in America and helped Bill Clinton win the presidency in 1992.

Carville said Chevalier should not be welcomed into the Democratic congressional caucus. He argued that people with such views should form their own party.

He even used the word “schism.”

That sounds like either a medical condition or an expensive European perfume.

What it means is a formal split.

A political divorce.

Carville was essentially saying:

“We may share the same party name, the same voters and the same campaign donors, but perhaps we should start seeing other political movements.”

There was only one problem.

Democrats cannot easily divorce.

If the socialists create their own party, they divide the Democratic vote and help Republicans win.

If the moderates create their own party, they also divide the Democratic vote and help Republicans win.

So both sides must remain together.

They are like a married couple that has stopped speaking but checked New York housing prices and decided to postpone the divorce.

One side says:

“We need more democratic socialism.”

The other side says:

“We just signed a document confirming that we support capitalism.”

The first side asks:

“Then why are you still in the same party with us?”

The second replies:

“Because otherwise Republicans win.”

President Donald Trump responded in his usual understated manner by calling the three New York winners “solid communists.”

Technically, that was political exaggeration.

But it was also a rather impressive promotion.

One day, you are a local democratic socialist.

The next day, the president has upgraded you to a communist of national importance — no interview, no probationary period and no references required.

The meaning of the story is straightforward.

The socialist wing of the Democratic Party won three significant congressional primaries in New York.

Moderate Democrats became worried that voters across the country would now identify the entire party with socialism.

So they urgently published a pledge supporting capitalism, public safety, secure borders, responsible spending and American patriotism.

James Carville, one of the party’s most famous strategists, openly began discussing a possible split.

Meanwhile, Democratic leaders continued to insist that three races in New York did not define the entire party and that there was no national crisis.

Of course there is no crisis.

One half of the party is celebrating the advance of socialism.

The other half is issuing written proof that it still supports capitalism.

And the political divorce lawyer is already downstairs, asking whether the voters should be divided before or after the midterm elections.