The House voted to condemn socialism in all its forms on Tuesday, passing the resolution 220 to 192 to 2. Eight Democrats joined Republicans, while two Democrats voted present, and the split landed just ahead of the November elections.
Jared Golden and Marie Gluesenkamp Perez
Jared Golden and Marie Gluesenkamp Perez were among the Democrats who helped a procedural vote succeed earlier Tuesday, then backed the resolution itself. House Democratic leadership condemned that move and said the pair had blindsided the caucus.
Hakeem Jeffries said the two members' decision "represents a significant breach of trust." In a statement ahead of the vote, he also said he would oppose the resolution because of the SAVE America Act inclusion.
Steve Scalise and the SAVE America Act
The measure did more than denounce socialism. It also reaffirmed support for the SAVE America Act, which gave Democrats another reason to break with it and turned the vote into a broader test of party discipline.
Steve Scalise tied the two issues together on Tuesday, saying, "Not only do we denounce socialism, but also the idea of people that aren't American citizens voting in our elections, because that's part of their platform,"
Eight Democrats split from House Democratic
The full list of Democrats who supported the resolution was Kathy Castor, Henry Cuellar, Don Davis, Jared Golden, Vicente Gonzalez, Marie Gluesenkamp Perez, Darren Soto and Gabe Vasquez. Chrissy Houlahan and Maggie Goodlander voted present.
House Republicans scheduled the vote after Democratic primary voters embraced a number of democratic socialist candidates. Pete Aguilar said Tuesday morning, "We're capitalists. We believe in a capitalist system and rules and laws," and the final tally showed how sharply the message cut across House Democratic ranks.
The House has now put a formal anti-socialism position on the record while leaving the split inside the caucus visible. The separate Democratic response is already taking shape, but the vote on Tuesday left Golden, Gluesenkamp Perez and the others on the record before the November elections.
