The threat of communism is growing as socialist candidates win races, an expert warns
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A national security expert who fled to the US from Cuba warns that the “vicious cycle” that currently dominates American politics could lead to “double-digit communists” serving in Congress.
Mike Gonzalez, a senior executive at the Heritage Foundation who fled communist Cuba in the 1970s, said in an interview with Fox News Digital that the socialist threat is “real now.”
Gonzalez likened this trend to “the takeover of the ruling party, the Democratic Party,” saying, “It’s being taken over by physical abusers and they can’t defend themselves with it even if they wanted to.”
Under the current political climate, Gonzalez predicted, “We’re going to get two-digit communists in the House of Representatives at least, there’s no doubt about that.”
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Members of the Democratic Socialists of America gather outside Trump’s building during a May Day rally in New York City in 2019. (Spencer Platt/Getty Images)
Over the course of the year, New York City elected a Socialist Mayor, Zohran Mamdani, and three socialist congressional candidates – Brad Lander, Claire Valdez and Darializa Avila Chevalier – defeated the Democratic Alliance, including two incumbents. On the other side of the country, Seattle elected a socialist mayor, Katie Wilson. Just this week, Colorado Congressman Melat Kiros defeated Democratic Rep. Diana DeGette, who also demonstrated the ability of socialists to overthrow entrenched party figures.
Although these politicians identified as socialists, Gonzalez pointed out that for the authors of the Communist manifesto, Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels, “there was no difference between socialism and communism, they were interchangeable.”
“These people are communists, and when you catch them off guard, they basically say, ‘Oh, yes, I know we want communism,'” he said.
According to Gonzalez, the widespread success of Socialist candidates in races across the US is due to several factors, including the decline of immigrants following American culture, the growing hatred of the US and White guilt combined with the problem of affordability in cities like New York.
“The most important thing about this and what is also forgotten by people who are not converted is that most of these votes are the votes of White people, young children from the suburbs, who feel guilty about many things,” he explained.
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New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani speaks during a viewing party for NYC Congressional candidate Claire Valdez at 99 Scott Studio on June 23, 2026 in the East Williamsburg neighborhood of Brooklyn in New York City. (Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)
“They went to expensive Ivy League schools and they’re trying to make a living in New York City without being a banker. And you can’t make a living in New York City if you’re not a banker, sorry, you’re going to have trouble paying.”
This, says Gonzalez, makes socialist promises of welfare, such as free education, free bus fares and publicly controlled grocery stores, an easy sell.
“So, they ended up voting for this. This is a very bad cycle that is going on and will produce communism in this country if we are not careful.”
Meanwhile, Neetu Arnold, a young immigrant to the US who works as a policy analyst for the Manhattan Institute, emphasized that the trend of socialism is not only limited to cities like New York but is increasingly prevalent in cities across the US.
“The rise of socialism in America, it will shape our politics. I think it will make things very difficult,” said Arnold in an interview with Fox News Digital.
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Members of the Party for Socialism and Liberation photograph children supporting the regime in Iran, during a protest Saturday, March 7, 2026, in Washington, DC. (Asra Q. Nomani/Fox News Digital)
“What the socialists got into the election is frustration and real grievances, but the solutions they offer are more government involvement than trying to fix the underlying problems,” he explained. “What many young people find is that it is not that easy to find houses. They are drowning in student loans, they are struggling to find stable jobs, so the things they were promised are not coming true.”
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As a naturalized American citizen, Arnold said he hopes both sides of politics recognize that “socialist policies are a threat to the American way of life.”
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“In this country, we value merit, we value wealth, and the ability to move up in this society,” he said. “I’ve seen my life change before my eyes by being here in this state, by having the opportunities I’ve had, and I’ve seen my family, and I think that’s happened because of the free markets and the opportunities we have in this country.”
“The policies of socialism actually limit what we are capable of,” Arnold continued. “So, I take it seriously and I hope the Democrats, the Republicans, they all take the rise of socialism seriously.”
