These 86 Democrats Voted Against Condemning Socialism

U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) speaks as Reps. Ayanna Pressley (D-Mass.), Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.), and Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.) listen during a press conference at the U.S. Capitol in Washington on July 15, 2019. Alex Wroblewski/Getty Images

The U.S. House of Representatives on Feb. 2 passed H. Con. Res. 9, a bill “denouncing the horrors of socialism,” over opposition from Democrats.

The bill was introduced by Rep. Maria Salazar (R-Fla.) and passed in a bipartisan 327–86 vote. All Republicans and 109 Democrats voted in favor of the measure, with 13 Democrats voting present.

Socialists, guided by the ideology of Karl Marx, a German philosopher who spent his entire life in unemployment, are responsible for the deaths of upwards of 100,000,000 people during the 20th century.

Salazar represents Miami, the world capital of refugees fleeing from the socialist systems of Cuba, Venezuela, and others in the southern hemisphere. She grew up in Fidel Castro’s Cuba, where she experienced the deprivation of basic essentials that have historically been part and parcel of socialist states.

“[Socialist] ideology necessitates a concentration of power that has time and time again collapsed into Communist regimes, totalitarian rule, and brutal dictatorships,” Salazar wrote in the bill.

Socialism, she continued, “has repeatedly led to famine and mass murders, and the killing of over 100,000,000 people worldwide.”

The resolution concluded with the declaration: “Whereas the United States of America was founded on the belief in the sanctity of the individual, to which the collectivistic system of socialism in all of its forms is fundamentally and necessarily opposed: Now, therefore, be it Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate concurring), That Congress denounces socialism in all its forms, and opposes the implementation of socialist policies in the United States of America.”

All “no” votes against the measure were cast by Democrats.

All four members of “the Squad,” a progressive faction composed of Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), Ayanna Pressley (D-Mass.), Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.), and Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.) voted against the resolution.

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, and Ilhan Omar attend a press conference outside the U.S. Capitol in Washington on Feb. 7, 2019. Saul Loeb/AFP/Getty Images

The resolution was also opposed by freshman Rep. Maxwell Frost (D-Fla.), who at age 26 is the youngest person ever elected to the lower chamber.

Progressives like Reps. Pramilla Jayapal (D-Wash.), who heads the Congressional Progressive Caucus, and Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) also opposed the resolution.

Other high profile Democrats who said “no” to condemning socialism included Rep. Steny Hoyer (D-Md.), who served as House majority leader during the 117th Congress, Rep. Jim McGovern (D-Mass.), 2024 Senate contender Rep. Katie Porter (D-Calif.), Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-N.Y.), and Maxine Waters (D-Calif.).

The full list of lawmakers who voted against the resolution is below.

Democrats Who Voted Against Condeming Socialism

The following Democrats voted “no” on the resolution to condemn socialism.

Alma Adams (D-N.C.) Becca Balint (D-Vt.) Nanette Diaz Barragán (D-Calif.) Joyce Beatty (D-Ohio) Donald S. Beyer, Jr. (D-Va.) Earl Blumenhauer (D-Ore.) Suzanne Bonamici (D-Ore.) Jamaal Bowman (D-N.Y.) Cori Bush (D-Mo.) Tony Cárdenas (D-Calif.) André Carson (D-Ind.) Greg Casar (D-Texas) Joaquin Castro (D-Texas) Judy Chu (D-Calif.) Yvette D. Clarke (D-N.Y.) Emanuel Cleaver (D-Mo.) Gerald Connolly (D-Va.) Joe Courtney (D-Conn.) Danny Davis (D-Ill.) Diana DeGette (D-Colo.) Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.) Mark DeSaulnier (D-Calif.) Lloyd Doggett (D-Texas) Adriano Espaillat (D-N.Y.) Dwight Evans (D-Pa.) Lizzie Fletcher (D-Texas) Maxwell Frost (D-Fla.) Valerie Foushee (D-N.C.) John Garamendi (D-Calif.) Robert Garcia (D-Calif.) Sylvia Garcia (D-Texas) Jesús Garcia (D-Ill.) Daniel Goldman (D-N.Y.) Jimmy Gomez (D-Calif.) Al Green (D-Texas) Raul Grijalva (D-Ariz.) Jahana Hayes (D-Calif.) Brian Higgins (D-Pa.) James Himes (D-Conn.) Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) Jared Huffman (D-Calif.) Pramilla Jayapal (D-Wash.) Henry Johnson (D-Ga.) Sydney Kamlager-Dove (D-Calif.) Robin Kelly (D-Ill.) John Larson (D-Conn.) Barbara Lee (D-Calif.) Summer Lee (D-Pa.) Betty McCollum (D-Minn.) Morgan McGarvey (D-Ky.) Jim McGovern (D-Mass.) Kweisi Mfume (D-Md.) Gwen Moore (D-Wis.) Kevin Mullin (D-Calif.) Jerrold Nadler (D-N.Y.) Grace Napolitano (D-Calif.) Richard Neal (D-Mass.) Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) Frank Pallone (D-N.J.) Bill Pascrell (D-N.J.) Donald Payne (D-N.J.) Chellie Pingree (D-Maine) Mark Pocan (D-Wis.) Katie Porter (D-Calif.) Ayanna Pressley (D-Mass.) Delia Ramirez (D-Ill.) Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) Linda Sánchez (D-Calif.) John Sarbanes (D-Md.) Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.) Robert Scott (D-Va.) David Scott (D-Ga.) Brad Sherman (D-Calif.) Adam Smith (D-Wash.) Mark Takano (D-Calif.) Shri Thanedar (D-Mich.) Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.) Jill Tokuda (D-Hawaii) Paul Tonko (D-N.Y.) Norma Torres (D-Calif.) Juan Vargas (D-Calif.) Nydia Velázquez (D-N.Y.) Maxine Waters (D-Calif.) Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-N.J.) Nikema Williams (D-Ga.)

Democrats Condemning Socialism

The following Democrats voted to condemn socialism.

Democrats Who Voted ‘Yes’ Pete Aguilar (D-Calif.) Colin Allred (D-Texas) Jake Auchincloss (D-Mass.) Ami Bera (D-Calif.) Sanford Bishop Jr (D-Ga.) Brendan Boyle (D-Pa.) Julia Brownley (D-Calif.) Nikki Budzinski (D-Ill.) Yadira Caraveo (D-Colo.) Salud Carbajal (D-Calif.) Troy Carter (D-La.) Matt Cartwright (D-Pa.) Ed Case (D-Hawaii) Kathy Castor (D-Fla.) Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick (D-Fla.) Katherine Clark (D-Mass.) Jim Clyburn(D-S.C.) Lou Correa (D-Calif.) Angie Craig (D-Minn.) Jason Crow (D-Colo.) Henry Cuellar (D-Texas) Sharice Davids (D-Kan.) Donald Davis (D-N.C.)) Madeleine Dean (D-Pa.) Suzan DelBene (D-Wash.) Deluzio Deluzio (D-Pa.) Debbie Dingell (D-Mich.) Bill Foster (D-Ill.) Lois Frankel (D-Fla.) Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.) Jared Golden (D-Maine) Vicente Gonzalez (D-Texas) Josh Gottheimer (D-N.J.) Josh Harder (D-Calif.) Steven Horsford (D-Nev.) Chrissy Houlahan (D-Pa.) Glenn Ivey (D-Md.) Jonathan Jackson (D-Ill.) Jeff Jackson (D-N.C.) Marcy Kaptur (D-Ohio) William Keating (D-Mass.) Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) Daniel Kildee (D-Mich.) Derek Kilmer (D-Wash.) Andy Kim (D-N.J.) Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-Ill.) Ann Kuster (D-N.H.) Greg Landsman (D-Ohio) Rick Larsen (D-Wash.) Susie Lee (D-Nev.) Mike Levin (D-Calif.) Ted Lieu (D-Calif.) Zoe Lofgren (D-Calif.) Stephen Lynch (D-Mass.) Seth Magaziner (D-R.I.) Kathy E. Manning (D-N.C.) Lucy McBath (D-Ga.) Gregory Meeks (D-N.Y.) Robert Menendez (D-N.J.) Grace Meng (D-N.Y.) Joseph Morelle (D-N.Y.) Jared Moskowitz (D-Fla.) Seth Moulton (D-Mass.) Frank Mrvan (D-Ind.) Joe Neguse (D-Colo.) Wiley Nickel (D-N.C.) Donald Norcross (D-N.J.) Jimmy Panetta (D-Calif.) Chris Pappas (D-N.H.) Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) Mary Peltola (D-Alaska) Marie Perez (D-Wash.) Scott Peters (D-Calif.) Brittany Pettersen (D-Colo.) Dean Phillips (D-Minn.) Mike Quigley (D-Ill.) Raul Ruiz (D-Calif.) C.A. Dutch Ruppersberger (D-Md.) Patrick Ryan (D-N.Y.) Andrea Salinas (D-Ore.) Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) Bradley Schneider (D-Ill.) Hillary Scholten (D-Mich.) Kim Schrier (D-Wash.) Terri Sewell (D-Ala.) Mikie Sherrill (D-N.J.) Elissa Slotkin (D-Mich.) Eric Sorensen (D-Ill.) Darren Soto (D-Fla.) Abigail Spanberger (D-Va.) Greg Stanton (D-Ariz.) Haley Stevens (D-Mich.) Marilyn Strickland (D-Wash.) Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.) Emilia Sykes (D-Ohio) Mike Thompson (D-Calif.) Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.) Dina Titus (D-Nev.) Ritchie Torres (D-N.Y.) Lori Trahan (D-Mass.) David Trone (D-Md.) Lauren Underwood (D-Ill.) Gabe Vasquez (D-N.M.) Marc Veasey (D-Texas) Debbie Schultz (D-Fla.) Jennifer Wexton (D-Va.) Susan Wild (D-Pa.) Frederica Wilson (D-Fla.)