Thirteen moderate Democratic House members and candidates formed the "Promise to America" (PTA) initiative, stating: "We are capitalist, not socialist". Led by Rep. Tom Suozzi , the group is pushing back against the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) following their recent primary wins in New York .
The pledge centers around growth, competition, and broad prosperity, emphasizing opportunity and fiscal responsibility rather than favoring wealth at the top . The 13 lawmakers and candidates who signed the pledge include:
- Rep. Tom Suozzi (D-NY)
- Rep. Adam Gray (D-CA)
- Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ)
- Rep. Susie Lee (D-NV)
- Rep. Don Davis (D-NC)
- Rep. Vicente Gonzalez Jr. (D-TX)
- Rep. Laura Gillen (D-NY)
- Rep. Janelle Bynum (D-OR)
- Rep. Kristin McDonald Rivet (D-MI)
- Rep. Maggie Goodlander (D-NH)
- Jessica Killin (Candidate)
- Marlene Galán Woods (Candidate)
- Bobby Pulido (Candidate)
The manifesto outlines six core principles that also emphasize national pride, law and order, and secure borders, differentiating the centrist wing from far-right and far-left politics . In response, DSA-backed figures like New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani dismissed the anti-socialist messaging, asserting that their progressive policies have already proven successful with voters.
In an interview that aired Sunday, New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani (D) laughed when ABC News’s Jonathan Karl asked if he’d seen the Democratic manifesto rejecting socialism backed by lawmakers in the House. Instead, the Big Apple’s mayor defended his legislative agenda laid out by New York candidates aligned with his political view.
“Sounds pretty socialist to me,” Mamdani said with a laugh. The centrist manifesto was delivered by lawmakers after two democratic socialist candidates backed by Mamdani won elections to the House from New York.
“I’m not interested in writing a manifesto or, frankly, in reading one. I’m interested in delivering, and that’s exactly what we’ve been showing,” Mamdani told Karl during his appearance on ABC News’s “This Week.”
