Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) and Mayor Zohran Mamdani raise their hands during a Get Out the Vote (GOTV) rally at Kings Theater on June 18, 2026 in New York City.
(Photo by Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)
“The American people are disgusted with an economic system in which one guy on top, Elon Musk, owns more wealth than the bottom half of American society.”
Jul 24, 2026 (CommonDreams.org)
Sen. Bernie Sanders on Thursday explained to Fox Business reporter Chase Williams why candidates backed by the Democratic Socialists of America have been racking up victories in Democratic primaries throughout the US.
While walking the halls of the US Capitol building, Williams asked Sanders (I-Vt.) if he believed DSA-backed candidates would hurt the Democratic Party’s chances of retaking Congress from Republicans this fall.
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Sanders said he didn’t think so and then offered his opinion on why many voters are attracted to democratic socialism.
“The American people are disgusted with an economic system in which one guy on top, Elon Musk, owns more wealth than the bottom half of American society,” Sanders said. “They’re tired of a situation where 60% of our people live paycheck-to-paycheck… they are tired of a corrupt political system in which billionaires buy elections.”
Williams attempted to interject, but Sanders kept speaking.
“They want change,” he continued. “They want candidates and members of Congress with the guts to stand up for working families and not simply take big checks and not simply have super PACs elect… the next senators and members of Congress.”
Williams again pressed Sanders if he thought democratic socialists were a liability for the Democratic Party.
“No,” Sanders replied. “I think that if you have candidates who are standing up for the working class, and explaining that there is something wrong when the billionaire class is getting richer and richer, while so many Americans can’t afford groceries, they can’t afford housing, they can’t afford healthcare. That’s not the kind of economy the American people want.”
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Brad Reed is a staff writer for Common Dreams.
