Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.) said progressives’ calls to “defund the police” were in part to blame for Democratic losses in the House in a cycle when the party was expected to gain seats.
“I think the ability, using terms like ‘defund the police’ have led to Democratic losses in this last year,” Warner said Friday on WAMU’s “Politics Hour.”
Warner, a moderate himself, sought to walk the line, saying he does not back defunding the police but does support broader reforms as well as other economic changes.
“Do I think we need major policing reform? Absolutely,” he said.
He added later, “I spent my time longer in business than I have in politics, so do I think socialism is the answer? No. But do I think modern American capitalism is working for enough people? I don’t believe that as well.”
Democrats have been locked in a fierce debate to explain why they so significantly underperformed expectations in the House this year, with the party’s centrist and more progressive wings engaging in a burgeoning war of words over issues such as police reform and economic changes.
The bitter back-and-forth broke out into the open last week after details leaked of a caucus-wide conference call in which moderates tore into their liberal colleagues.
Rep. Abigail Spanberger (D), a centrist who represents a district in northern Virginia who narrowly scraped by to win reelection, called the Democrats’ campaign strategy “a failure” and specifically pointed to progressive proposals to redirect funds away from police departments to explain why over a half dozen moderate lawmakers lost their seats.
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Warner blames Democratic losses on "defund the police" https://t.co/akXB2xaZ0C pic.twitter.com/qktm4GUXtm
— The Hill (@thehill) November 14, 2020
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