VICTOR JOECKS: Nevada Democrats have a DSA problem too

New York isn’t the only state that needs to worry about the Democratic Socialists of America. They’re active in Nevada politics, too.

On Tuesday, two DSA members backed by Mayor Zohran Mamdani won Democrat primaries in New York City. Mamdani, a DSA member, also backed the victorious Brad Lander. This was a major victory for the mayor and a major loss for the Democrat establishment. Two of three radical candidates defeated incumbent Democrats.

It is difficult to comprehend how radical DSA members are. Consider Darializa Avila Chevalier, who defeated Rep. Adriano Espaillat, the current chair of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus.

Avila Chevalier has repeatedly called for defunding the police and even abolishing the police. In June 2020, someone on Twitter asked, “What would be a better slogan than ‘defund the police’?” She responded, “F--- you. We’re gonna defund and abolish. You don’t get to water down our movements.”

Lovely stuff. This wasn’t a one-off. Abolishing the police “means ending policing full stop. Period. No more police at all ever,” Avita Chevalier wrote in 2020.

Avita Chevalier is also a prison abolitionist. In an interview with The New York Editorial Board on Substack, she was asked repeatedly if a murderer should go to prison. In her rambling non-answer, she expressed concern that incarcerated murderers are “being re-traumatized day after day after day while inside.” In that same interview, she said, “I think all deportation is wrong.”

This isn’t coming from some internet troll with two followers. The mayor of America’s biggest city endorsed Avita Chevalier. She is almost certain to be elected to the U.S. House.

The DSA has been active in Nevada politics as well. In 2021, a slate of DSA-backed candidates took over the Nevada State Democratic Party. Staffers quit and essentially ran a shadow party. Establishment Democrats eventually regained control of the party apparatus.

But the Las Vegas DSA remains active. In the primary, it ran two DSA members against Assembly incumbents. Fortunately, they lost, but each received more than 37 percent of the vote.

I asked Attorney General and Democrat gubernatorial nominee Aaron Ford several questions about Avita Chevalier’s positions. Ford refused to say if he supported abolishing the police. He refused to say if he would vote for Avita Chevalier if she were running in his congressional district. Uh oh.

In contrast, Gov. Joe Lombardo opposes defunding the police and has increased law enforcement spending. “It is unfathomable that any candidate would support defunding the police or abolishing prisons,” Lombardo spokeswoman Elizabeth Ray said.

I also asked Democrat attorney general nominee, state Sen. Nicole Cannizzaro, about Avita Chevalier’s stances. Cannizzaro refused to say if she supported abolishing prisons. That shouldn’t be a difficult question.

In contrast, GOP attorney general nominee Adriana Guzmán Fralick called those ideas “nonsense.” She said she would fight “all attempts to defund or abolish the police and prisons.”

My take is that Ford and Cannizzaro know the DSA’s positions are radical. But worried about losing votes from DSA supporters, they will tiptoe around condemning the DSA too forcefully.

Pacifying anti-American radicals isn’t great for the country. It isn’t even a great long-term strategy for establishment Democrats. Just look at NYC.