Sen. Roger Marshall Links Democratic Party’s Leftward Turn to Republican Electoral Advantage

By Michael Katz | Tuesday, 21 July 2026 07:57 PM EDT

Sen. Roger Marshall, R-Kan., argued Tuesday that what he described as the Democratic Party’s increasing embrace of socialist and Marxist ideas could bolster Republicans’ prospects in the midterm elections.

The senator said the party’s shift to the left provides Republicans with a political opening despite early polling showing Democrats maintaining only a narrow edge on the generic congressional ballot. “Well, run, Kamala, run!” Marshall said when asked about former Vice President Kamala Harris and the direction of the Democratic Party.

Marshall asserted that today’s Democrats have already moved toward socialism, with an even more progressive faction emerging within the party. “So, the mainstream Democrats today are socialists, right?” he said. “Socialists want bigger government, higher taxes. They’ve got a government program for everything. That’s your mainstream Democrats.”

He added: “So here’s this new group of folks that are certainly left of them, Marxists who want to blow up everything. They don’t want borders. Everyone should get amnesty, you know, free food for everybody. Free, free, free.”

Marshall said those positions ultimately benefit Republicans politically. “And that’s really hard to run against as a conservative Republican,” he said. “But certainly, these Marxists out there, I think, help Republicans in the long term. Mainstream Americans want no part of Marxism.”

The interview coincided with recent polling data showing Democrats holding narrow leads on the generic congressional ballot. Polling margins reported this week range from 48% to 45% and 46% to 43%, both significantly narrower than the double-digit Democrat advantage measured in similar polls ahead of the 2018 midterms.

Republicans are seeking to defend their House and Senate majorities in the Nov. 3 elections, which historically have often favored the party out of power. Democrats need a net gain of three or four House seats to reclaim the chamber, while Republicans are defending a narrow Senate majority.