Jose Aristimuño, who served as deputy national press secretary for the Democratic National Committee, said Monday he does not want Democratic Socialists of America-aligned candidates to win their primaries — and named Michigan's Abdul El-Sayed as a specific example.
"These DSA candidates do not represent my party," Aristimuño said. He added that while he generally wants Democrats to win, El-Sayed is "somebody that won't be able to" win — and said plainly: "I hope he doesn't."
Aristimuño framed his criticism around both electability and ideology, arguing that the center-left wing of the party remains dominant and that DSA-aligned figures fall outside it. His comments put a named Democratic operative on record against the left flank of the party during an active primary cycle.
El-Sayed, a physician and former Michigan gubernatorial candidate, has aligned himself with the DSA's platform. His presence in the contested Michigan race tests whether the party's left wing can convert enthusiasm into primary victories in a battleground state.
The remarks surface as the Democratic Party's internal argument over direction plays out across several states. Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez declined to endorse Francesca Hong in Wisconsin's governor's race, a notable non-move given Hong's progressive profile and Ocasio-Cortez's national platform.
Senator Jon Ossoff of Georgia again ruled out a 2028 presidential run, saying he has "zero interest" in the race. Ossoff's repeated denials remove one potential center-left figure from the speculative field.
The DNC's rules panel separately selected South Carolina as the first state in the party's 2028 presidential primary calendar. That decision keeps a moderate-leaning Southern state at the front of the nominating process — a structural choice that benefits candidates with appeal to Black voters and center-left constituencies.
Aristimuño's comments reflect a recurring tension inside the Democratic Party that sharpened since 2022. DSA-backed candidates have won seats in Congress and several state legislatures, but their record in competitive general elections remains disputed among party strategists. Critics from the center argue that DSA-aligned nominees drive away suburban and moderate voters Democrats need in swing states and districts.
Defenders of the DSA wing counter that the party's losses in working-class areas stem from insufficient economic contrast with Republicans, not from candidates running too far left. That argument has found no resolution inside the party, and Aristimuño's remarks show the debate is now being conducted in public by people with direct party credentials rather than only by outside commentators.
