The GOP’s Enemy #1 for the Midterms: “Socialism” – and Why That Should Concern (and Encourage) You
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Republicans have made their choice for the 2026 midterms: their number-one villain isn’t crime, immigration, or even the “woke mob.” It’s “socialism.”

At the recent Republican convention, Donald Trump and party leaders hammered the same theme over and over: Democrats, progressives, and especially democratic socialists are supposedly dragging the United States toward a nightmare of government control, economic collapse, and loss of “freedom.” Their message is simple and blunt: be afraid.

But as the Jacobin article “The GOP’s Enemy #1 for the Midterms: Socialism” points out, there’s a reason Republicans keep everything at the level of slogans and scare words. The moment you actually spell out what democratic socialists are fighting for—universal health care, living wages, stronger unions, affordable housing, taxing the rich—those ideas sound a lot less like a dystopia and a lot more like common sense.

This matters because the 2026 midterms will help decide whether the U.S. doubles down on inequality and corporate power, or moves toward a more democratic, fair, and humane economy. The “socialism” scare campaign isn’t just rhetoric—it’s a deliberate strategy to block any serious challenge to the status quo.

Let’s unpack what’s really going on.

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1. The Political Moment: Why the “Socialism” Scare Is Back

We’re in a period of deep economic and political instability:

– Wages still lag behind the cost of living.
– Housing is unaffordable in huge swaths of the country.
– Medical debt and student loans weigh down millions.
– Climate disasters are becoming a regular part of life.

Voters across the spectrum are angry and searching for alternatives. That’s exactly the environment where democratic socialist ideas gain traction: if the system is failing people, maybe the system needs to change.

Republican strategists understand this. So rather than debate policy on its merits, they’re trying to turn “socialism” into a catch-all bogeyman—something vague, terrifying, and disconnected from the actual demands coming from the left.

The Jacobin piece argues that the GOP’s midterm message is less about what socialism is and more about what they want people to feel: fear, resentment, and suspicion of any effort to expand public goods or curb corporate power.

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2. Background: What the GOP Is Actually Saying—and Not Saying

According to the article, the Republican convention was full of familiar tropes:

– “Socialist Democrats” supposedly want to abolish private property.
– Universal programs are framed as “government handouts.”
– Any move to regulate corporations is described as an attack on “freedom.”
– Democratic socialism is lumped together with authoritarian regimes, ignoring the reality of social-democratic countries in Europe and elsewhere.

But what’s striking is what Republicans don’t want to talk about:

– Health care: They rail against “socialized medicine” but won’t defend a system where millions are uninsured or underinsured, and where medical bills are a leading cause of personal bankruptcy.
– Wages: They denounce “big government” but have no answer for why full-time workers still can’t afford rent, groceries, and basic necessities.
– Unions: They condemn “union bosses” but stay quiet about corporate executives making hundreds of times more than their workers.
– Taxes and wealth: They warn about “confiscatory taxes” but never explain why billionaires pay lower effective tax rates than many middle-class families.

The GOP’s strategy is clear: keep everything at the level of labels (“socialism,” “Marxism,” “radical left”), because once you get into specifics, they lose the argument.

And that’s exactly what the Jacobin article highlights: when you ask people specific questions—Do you support Medicare for All? Do you want higher taxes on the rich? Do you think workers should have more power?—a majority of Americans often say yes.

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3. A Progressive Analysis: Why the Right Needs “Socialism” as a Scapegoat

From a progressive perspective, the right’s anti-socialist campaign serves several purposes.

3.1. Protecting Corporate Power

Labeling any challenge to corporate dominance as “socialism” is a way to shut down debate. If you want:

– to break up monopolies,
– to regulate dangerous industries,
– to ensure workers share in profits,

you’re not just proposing reforms—you’re supposedly part of a radical plot.

This is useful for Republicans because their donor base depends on keeping corporate power intact. If voters start connecting the dots between corporate greed and their own economic struggles, the GOP’s alliance with big business becomes harder to defend.

3.2. Dividing Working People

A key part of the anti-socialist strategy is to pit different groups of working people against each other:

– White workers are told that “socialism” means their taxes will go to “undeserving” others.
– Immigrants are scapegoated as beneficiaries of “big government.”
– Young people demanding student debt relief are portrayed as entitled.

By turning “socialism” into a dirty word, the right hopes to fracture potential coalitions—so that workers, tenants, students, and marginalized communities don’t unite around shared economic demands.

3.3. Rewriting History

The GOP often invokes the Cold War to equate any form of socialism with authoritarianism. But this erases the long history of democratic socialist and social-democratic movements that:

– helped win the eight-hour workday,
– pushed for Social Security and Medicare,
– fought for civil rights alongside labor rights.

Progressives argue that democratic socialism is about expanding democracy into the economic sphere: giving people more say over their workplaces, communities, and collective resources. That’s the conversation the right wants to avoid.

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4. Why This Matters for Social Justice and Progressive Values

The attack on “socialism” is, at its core, an attack on a specific set of values and policies that are central to social justice.

4.1. Universal Health Care as a Human Right

Democratic socialists argue that no one should go bankrupt or die because they can’t afford care. The GOP’s “socialism” scare is a way to defend a system where health is treated as a commodity, not a right.

For progressives, this isn’t abstract—it’s about:

– preventing avoidable deaths,
– ending medical debt,
– ensuring mental health and reproductive care for all.

4.2. Economic Democracy and Worker Power

Progressive politics is about shifting power away from a tiny elite and toward the people who actually create wealth. That means:

– strong unions,
– workplace protections,
– democratic control over key sectors like energy and housing.

Calling this “socialism” and equating it with tyranny is a way to delegitimize any effort to democratize the economy.

4.3. Racial Justice and Economic Justice

The GOP’s anti-socialist rhetoric also functions as a backlash to movements like Black Lives Matter and broader struggles against systemic racism. Democratic socialist policies—such as investing in public housing, schools, and health care—would disproportionately benefit communities of color that have been systematically denied resources.

For progressives, you can’t separate racial justice from economic justice. That’s precisely the intersection the right wants to shut down by smearing these demands as “radical socialism.”

4.4. Climate Justice

A livable planet requires massive public investment and planning—exactly the kind of role for government that Republicans deride as “socialist.” Yet the alternative is letting fossil fuel corporations dictate our future.

Progressives argue that climate justice means:

– public ownership or tight regulation of energy,
– just transitions for workers,
– prioritizing frontline communities.

The “socialism” scare is, among other things, a defense of fossil capital.

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5. What You Can Do—and How to Stay Informed

The GOP’s midterm strategy rests on misinformation, fear, and the hope that people won’t look too closely at what democratic socialists actually stand for. Countering that requires both political action and political education.

5.1. Learn the Policies Behind the Label

Don’t debate “socialism” as an abstract word. Focus on concrete issues:

– Do you support universal health care?
– Do you think the minimum wage should be a living wage?
– Should billionaires and corporations pay more in taxes?
– Should workers have the right to unionize without retaliation?
– Should housing be treated as a basic need rather than a speculative asset?

Talk about these specifics with friends, family, and coworkers. The more people connect “socialism” to actual policies they support, the weaker the scare campaign becomes.

5.2. Support Progressive and Democratic Socialist Candidates

The 2026 midterms will feature candidates who openly identify as democratic socialists or who run on strong progressive platforms. You can:

– Volunteer for campaigns that support Medicare for All, labor rights, and climate action.
– Donate small amounts to grassroots candidates rather than corporate-backed ones.
– Show up to town halls and ask pointed questions about economic justice.

5.3. Get Involved in Local Organizing

Electoral politics is only one arena. Progressive change also happens through:

– tenants’ unions,
– workplace organizing,
– mutual aid networks,
– climate justice groups,
– local DSA (Democratic Socialists of America) chapters and other grassroots organizations.

These spaces help build the kind of solidarity and political consciousness that can’t be easily disrupted by fear-mongering.

5.4. Stay Informed with Independent Media

Corporate media often echoes right-wing framing or treats “socialism” as inherently fringe. To get a fuller picture, seek out independent outlets that take progressive ideas seriously.

Reading the full Jacobin article is a good place to start, as it offers more detail on how the GOP is framing its midterm message and what democratic socialists are actually proposing.

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The battle over “socialism” in the 2026 midterms isn’t just semantic. It’s a fight over whether the U.S. will confront its deep inequalities and structural injustices, or retreat into a politics of fear that protects the wealthy and powerful.

If Republicans are making socialism their Enemy #1, it’s because they sense how popular many of these ideas could become once people see past the scare tactics. That’s precisely why progressives need to stay informed, organized, and unafraid to say what we’re really fighting for: a more democratic, equal, and humane society.

Read the original Jacobin article here:
https://jacobin.com/2026/09/republican-convention-midterms-democratic-socialism

Photo by Stewart Munro on Unsplash