In the 2020 election, Republicans enjoyed substantial success in their efforts to demonize Democrats by labeling many as socialists and assailing those seeking to revamp or defund local police departments.
The campaign was helped by the prominence of such party activists as Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders and New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez – both self-styled democratic socialists -- and the failure of its more centrist leaders like presidential nominee Joe Biden to mount an effective counterattack.
Now, as Biden and the Democrats face an uphill battle to retain their congressional majorities in November’s midterm elections, they have turned to a similar strategy, seeking to tar all Republicans as Donald Trump’s extreme acolytes, with or without his name.
