Socialist Oliver Larkin is challenging Rep. Jared Moskowitz (D-Fla.) in a Republican-leaning district.
Fresh off victories over the Democratic establishment in safely Democratic seats in New York and Colorado, the Democratic Socialists of America have set their sights on a more problematic target: a Democratic congressman representing a district President Donald Trump won by 9 percentage points.
The DSA has endorsed Oliver Larkin in a primary challenge against Rep. Jared Moskowitz (D-Fla.) to represent Florida’s 25th District, a previously Democratic-leaning seat which state Republicans redrew earlier this year to favor the GOP. The organization suggested this week Moskowitz would be their next big takedown.
“The movement moves from New York to Colorado to FLORIDA!” the DSA said on social media. The socialist influencer Hasan Piker hosted a virtual fundraiser for Larkin on Tuesday.
While establishment Democrats have not exactly been overjoyed with successful campaigns by DSA-backed candidates to oust incumbent Democrats, they’ve also downplayed how much it matters in November since the bright-blue seats they’ve won have no chance of going Republican and harming Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries’ chances of being House speaker next year.
The 25th District is a much different story. A socialist candidate who has built much of his campaign around opposition to U.S. aid to Israel would have little chance of winning the South Florida-based seat, which is full of older Jewish voters with an emotional connection to the country. A Larkin victory could simply hand the seat to the GOP.
