A growing pattern of support for communism within Democratic politics is becoming harder to ignore, especially as candidates and officials push policies that expand government control while downplaying ideological labels.
The trend was on full display in New York City, where Zohran Mamdani won election while openly embracing democratic socialism. Progressive Democrats applauded the victory, including Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Sen. Bernie Sanders. Mamdani’s rise confirmed that elements of the Democratic Party are no longer flirting with socialist ideas; they are campaigning on them openly and unapologetically.
But he’s not the only one. And the pattern is extremely disturbing.
Virginia presents a more subtle but equally revealing example, one rooted in messaging discipline rather than transparency. As Washington Times columnist Robert Knight details, Governor Abigail Spanberger (D-Va) campaigned as a pragmatic moderate, aided by press assurances that Democrats would govern with restraint. Yet Knight documents that once Democrats secured full control of the General Assembly and the governor’s office, the agenda shifted rapidly. Constitutional amendments, election law changes, criminal sentencing rollbacks, and expansive taxation proposals followed in quick succession.
Spanberger herself acknowledged in a leaked 2020 conversation that Democrats should avoid using the word “socialism,” a warning that Knight argues was less about ideology and more about optics during campaigns.
The substance of Virginia’s legislative agenda reinforces concerns about centralized power and weakened safeguards. According to Knight, Va Democrats are moving to limit voter-roll verification, extend absentee ballot counting, restrict hand counts, and authorize ranked-choice voting, while positioning the legislature to redraw congressional maps. Other proposals remove mandatory minimum sentences for violent crimes, raise fees across nearly every consumer transaction despite a multibillion-dollar surplus, and re-enter regional climate compacts that raise household energy costs.
These measures reflect an aggressive governing philosophy that prioritizes bureaucratic authority over accountability, and ideological objectives over voter consent once political control is secured. That’s communism, or politely, democratic socialism.
Whether through open admission or strategic concealment, the direction is increasingly clear. In New York, voters were offered socialism by name. In Virginia, Robert Knight argues, voters were sold moderation and given sweeping ideological change once the election was over.
Ephesians 5:6 offers a warning that resonates in moments shaped by rhetoric and reality colliding: “Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of such things God’s wrath comes on those who are disobedient.”
Communism replaces God with the state. People of God who vote for such ought to do some very deep self-examination. Political movements may rebrand themselves, but truth eventually surfaces in policy, cost, and consequences that citizens are left to bear. But even more, what are the eternal consequences of supporting such godless movements?
Sources:
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2026/jan/
https://apnews.com/article/new-york-city-mayor-zohran-mamdani-socialism
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/11/08/nyregion/zohran-mamdani-election.html
https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?261+lst+ALL